The back-and-forth about the most impactful, lyrical and best-selling Fuji act soon became my cue to highlight the greatest albums the genre has produced over the years.

From the iconic harmonies to the infectious beats, these Fuji albums (in no particular order) have revolutionised the genre, soundtracked lives, shaped culture, and made bodies shake.

Aiye! 鈥� Sikiru Ayinde Barrister

Barrister’s music is the type to dance to and also pick up lessons from. On his album Aiye! (1980), he sings about the Disneyworld in Orlando which received an increase in African tourists. That song earned him the 鈥淜eys to the State of Florida.鈥�

Beyond an American experience, this album鈥檚 message gets deeper. It鈥檚 laced with proverbs, metaphors and witty sayings about life, trust and human behaviours. On the Side B, Apala Fuji System Medley he addresses and refutes the allegations against him as a conspirator in the death of Apala singer, Ayinla Omowura, and commiserate with his family and loved ones. For context, Barrister had a fallout with Ayinla in his lifetime and Kollington (who Barrister also had an issue with) was always closer to Ayinla.

In the album, Barrister laid curses on whoever had a hand in Ayinla’s death. That was his way of saying his hand was as clean as a white glove. He had to do it 鈥� Ayinla had a large following that could take Barry鈥檚 silence for complicity and cause him physical harm. It’s no wonder the album鈥檚 title translates to 鈥淟ife鈥� and came out the same year (1980) Ayinla tragically passed away. This album is the Bible for Fuji artists.

Fuji Garbage 鈥� Sikiru Ayinde Barrister

On this 1988 album, innovation is at its peak. In its opening, one could have easily mistaken it for a Fela Kuti song intro because of its chiming chords and jazzy feel. But Barry fuses other sounds with Fuji to leave strong impressions that he’s in-tune with the times, versatile, capable and on a plane higher than his peers. Fuji Garbage was so successful that he did several versions of it, and that marked a tonal shift in his music at the time. With the arrival of Fuji Garbage, Juju music was pushed to the backseat.

You may be wondering, why Fuji Garbage? This means that as the biggest in the Fuji world, he鈥檚 not immune to insults and ridicule that come with success. But there was also a necessary need to distinguish himself.

Ijo Yoyo 鈥� Kollington Ayinde

Fuji music with up-tempo, fun dance moves, and quests for ladies are the unmistakable descriptors of Kollington Ayinde鈥檚 Ijo Yoyo (1989). Ijo Yoyo registered a new dance and an untamed party ambience in Fuji for Gen X in South-West Nigeria. Kollington’s Ijo Yoyo was the culmination of his late 80s-early 90s run when he held his own, not only against Barrister, but also King Sunny Ade and Sir Shina Peters.

His public service message for the census also won him some accolades from the Ibrahim Babangida government. Iyo Yoyo is Kollington’s magnum opus. It solidified his claim as 鈥淧rofessor Master鈥�. Also, the impact of this album can be traced to younger Fuji acts like Obesere whose 鈥淎sakasa鈥� style is a legacy of Kollington.

Mr Johnson Play For Me 鈥� Adewale Ayuba

The Mr Johnson Play For Me album (1992) meshes folk, country and African rhythms with the themes of Fuji pride and a good time. Here comes the suit-wearing, corporate-swagged Fuji vocalist and class-act who calls his brand of music 鈥淏onsue鈥�. Mr Johnson Play For Me was Ayuba鈥檚 coming-of-age album, after being seen more like an “outsider”. He was young and educated. His two preceding albums were well received and he toured America, only for it to be reported that he was arrested for drugs. Not true.

Ayuba warns  people to stop calling him 鈥淭he rave of the moment,鈥� in this album. He states that Michael Jackson sang since he was a youngin till the moment he began his Fuji music, yet no one restricted MJ to a particular moment or era. Ayuba states that he is 鈥渃urrent forever.鈥� If you care to know how that argument has stacked up over the years, Ayuba still has the older and younger generations in his listening and streams dashboard.

Reality 鈥� Sikiru Ayinde Barrister

Reality (2004) starts on a light braggadocious note. Sikiri Ayinde sings, 鈥淚f you wanna see Barry Wonder, you go see wonder.鈥� Then he dives into the narratives of jealousy, envy and enemies that act like friends. He sings about ordinated destiny, que sera sera, his bus conductor days at Obalende and other struggles. Barrister croons about his breakthrough, ridicules the wicked eyes and flexes his will to enjoy his life to the fullest and without a bother.

This album didn’t leave out entitled people 鈥� the kind who only take, take and benefit from others, and think it’s their right. Barrister makes it clear that people who only stay in times of prosperity and leave during adversity usually end up painting their benefactors badly. This is another Barrister classic album, serving listeners life lessons and mastery of language. It was the penultimate album before he died, and it was somewhat foreboding.

The Ultimate 鈥� Wasiu Ayinde Marshal

The Ultimate (1993), is the self-acclaimed title and compliment that staples the status of Wasiu Ayinde, AKA K1 De Ultimate or KWAM1, as a king of Fuji music. It’s an apt body of work because K1 was crowned the King of Fuji (Oluaye of Fuji Music) after the album dropped, the same year at NTA Ibadan. The music is fast-paced, jiggy to wiggle to and easy to sing along.

K1 had been known as Barrister’s protege in the preceding ten years, even long after he had left the man. On The Ultimate, he lightly embraced the “yuppie” approach to the music, and had dropped the “Barrister” style he used for a few earlier albums.

Consolidation 鈥� Wasiu Ayinde Marshal

In 1995, K1 threw secular music listeners into a frenzy with the love song, Show Colour Medley (the Side A) off his Consolidation album. 鈥淪how colour鈥� means to show one鈥檚 true nature. The Side B of the album is Power to the People Medley. In its first few minutes, he mildly talks to the powers that be, then he adjusts his Fuji crown and assumes authority. Consolidation was the first time he would announce himself as 鈥淜ing鈥�, much to the annoyance of all concerns. The album caused beef with his peers and his seniors alike. He doubled down on Legacy, the next album, as if to say he’d done it all and was paving the way for others after him.

K1 also fondly reminisces about the day he was crowned King of Fuji (Oluaye Fuji Music) in 1993. He spends the rest of this album eulogising the deceased and hailing his seniors and folks in high places. Not only have the phrases, slangs, and one-liners that K1 placed in this album impacted younger generations, but they show that the coolness and spontaneity of the older generation are necessary ingredients for a catchy recipe.

Orobokibo 鈥� Pasuma

Thirty years ago, Pasuma called himself the Crown Prince of Fuji on his life-changing Orobokibo album. It was so huge that it carved a new nich茅 that went mainstream and became a blueprint for contemporary Fuji artists. As a Mushin-bred guy with street orientation and credibility, he had street slangs and phrases in abundance, and he adorned them in the music. The Orobokibo era is when Hip-Hop began to be globally impactful, from music to fashion and lifestyle. It’s not hard to tell why most of Pasuma鈥檚 style and branding leaned heavily on Hip-Hop culture. One look at his fashion, and one could tell that he wasn’t going to be traditional. He was influenced by Hip-Hop, and that choice continues to date.

The success of Orobokibo attracted Afro-Hip-Hop guys like The Remedies to Pasuma who he ended up making Jealousy with. This further solidified Pasuma鈥檚 relevance in Nigerian pop culture. Due to Pasuma, the word 鈥淥robo鈥� which he credits to one of his backup singers became an evergreen term in the Nigerian vocabulary. In the Orobokibo year, Pasuma won Best Fuji Artiste at the 1995 edition of Fame Music Awards (FMA). 

Overthrow 鈥� Obesere

Obesere, AKA Omorapala, has been termed controversial all his career. He provoked reactions with his lyrics and dancers. He aimed for the crown too, and on Overthrow, he makes the claim that he has taken over. One of the most successful albums in his career.

Mr Music 鈥� Saheed Osupa

At the peak of his career, Saheed Osupa released Mr Music in 2008 鈥� a title born out of his perceived victory in the feud with fellow musicians like Pasuma and Wasiu Ayinde Marshall. This album became the first-ever 4-in-1 music project 鈥� packed with wisdom from his ancestors, parables, shots and punchlines aimed at his detractors.
Mr Music marks his ascension to his self-acclaimed King of Music title. If you look around the Fuji world today for a musician with outstanding lyrical ability and smooth use of figurative expressions, Saheed Osupa should be number one.

Read Our Guide to Becoming a Fuji Music Legend

Some Nigerian artists have made conceptual albums that have resulted in series and volumes. In this article, 91大神 highlights seven Nigerian music albums that feel and sound like a continuous story.

Clone Wars Vol. 1 – 5 鈥� Show Dem Camp

In 2010, Show Dem Camp dropped the first Clone Wars: their Hip-Hop series that explores the Nigerian political landscape, mental health and toxic masculinity. Clone Wars I was fueled by braggadocious bars and fierceness that could be heard in their voices. The second volume (Clone Wars II: The Subsidy) came out in 2012; inspired by the subsidy removal protest during former president Goodluck Jonathan鈥檚 regime. In 2016, “Clone Wars III: The Recession” came out during the start of the recession of Muhammadu Buhari’s government. The fourth volume, “Clone Wars IV: These Buhari Times”, also inspired by the former president’s era, dropped in 2019. Then the fifth installment is called “Clone Wars V: The Algorhythm” 鈥� inspired by the aftermath of the 2020 pandemic lockdown.

Palmwine Music Vol. 1 – 3 鈥� Show Dem Camp

Since they perfected their palmwine music formula on their 2013 single, Feel Alright (featuring BOJ), it’s been an overflowing tap of grooviness, Lagos romance tales, and showcasing the talent of younger generation artists. The first volume came out in 2017 and featured frequent collaborators like BOJ, Ladipoe, Ajebutter22. In 2018, they followed with volume two, featuring Burna Boy, Worlasi (from Ghana), Lady Donli, etc. Completing a musical series of Nigerian love and Lagos nightlife stories. Show Dem Camp released the most recent installment of the series in 2022 to critical acclaim and it boasts of guest artists like Oxlade, WurlD, Tay Iwar, etc.

Make E No Cause Fight Vol. 1 & 2 鈥� BOJ & Ajebutter22

These two artists have been collaborating since  2012, after they did on  the popular song, Omo Pastor. It wasn’t news to their avid listeners when they announced their joint EP, but it was a transcendent experience after it dropped in 2018. With productions from Ekelly, Spax and Studio Magic, they explored topics of sex, love and living a soft life. The second volume came out in 2019, this time with Falz in the mix. On Make E No Cause Fight 2, they brag about their baller status and Lagos rendezvous.

Illegal Music 1 – 3 鈥� M.I Abaga

M.I’s 2009 Illegal Music is the poster project for the consecutive series. M.I rapped on uncleared instrumentals that sampled popular records made by other artists. He knew he did something crazy and he had continue the series. Illegal Music 2 came out in 2012 and unarguably became one of the best Nigerian Hip-Hop moments; boasting of high-level features from talented rappers like Ice Prince, Phenom, Boogey, HHP (from South Africa), etc. In 2016, he completed the trilogy with Illegal Music 3, which found him at one of his most vulnerable states of mind.

Jagz Nation Vol. 1 & 2 鈥� Jesse Jagz

After Jagz鈥檚 exit from Chocolate City in 2013, he launched his own independent music outfit, Jagz Nation. That was the road to his Jagz Nation albums creation. He showcased his full capacity as a music producer and artist, producing all tracks by himself. In the same year, he put out the first volume; a projection of who he is, and examines themes of love, sex, intoxication and spirituality. The popular single Bad (featuring Wizkid) came from Jagz Nation, Vol. 1: Thy Nation Come. The second installment, Jagz Nation Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company came out in 2014, a proper rap album Hip-Hop lovers will continue to relish years to come.

Pendulum Vol. 1 – 4 鈥� Femi Leye

Femi is a Nigerian guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer and producer that blends African sounds with modern jazz, soul, r&b and funk in his music, and he’s worked with heavy hitters like Burna Boy, Akon, Salif Keita, Adekunle Gold, Angelique Kidjo and Don Jazzy. In 2021, he started his Pendulum music series: a soothing instrumental music project that combines afrobeats, lo-fi, hip-hop and jazz and melodious guitars. The first volume dropped in January 2021, the second in June 2021, the third was released in September 2021 and the last installment dropped in December of the same year.

The Collectiv3 EP & Live. Create. Repeat. 鈥� The Collectiv3

Music executive, Chin Okeke brought together a group of Nigerian musicians: Show Dem Camp, Funbi, Ladipoe, Nsikak, Temi Dollface, and producers IKON and Kid Konnect; to be The Collectiv3. They put out their debut offering, The Collectiv3 LP, to mark Nigeria’s 55th independence in 2015. In 2018, they released their sophomore album, Live. Create. Repeat, a celebration of creativity. Their productions fuse afropop, alternative, Nigerian R&B with some alt茅 sounds. 

LOFN 1 – 4 鈥� WeTalkSound 

In 2018, WeTalkSound made a shift from being just the biggest Nigerian creative community, with members home and abroad, to a tastemaker in the music industry. They curate original collections of love stories, told from different perspectives, with different styles, across genres. “LOFN” is derived from Norse mythology which translates to “loving” the idea of the series being a collection of love stories. The first compilation dropped on SoundCloud on February 13th, 2018 to celebrate the year Valentine’s Day. This has now become their annual tradition. The second one came out 14th February, 2019. LOFN 3 dropped on 14th February, 2020, and the last installment came out in 2021.

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Everyone knows that besides being better than Shakespeare, Davido is also the king of features. So, with Timeless having not one but ten of them, it’s only fitting that we rank them from the most sizzling bangers to the ones we could do without. 

Let’s go. 

Kante featuring Fave 

It’s high time we all come together as a community and give Fave her flowers because if there’s one thing the Baby Riddim-singer is going to do, it’s eat up a hook and leave absolutely no crumbs in sight. From the minute Fave’s rich vocals opened up the Damie-produced track, I knew I was in for a treat. But Kante is more than a treat; it’s a full buffet. 

Davido, on his own part, has consistently proven himself to be an incredible duet partner on female collaborations 鈥� D&G with Summer Walker and the highly underrated Tanana with Tiwa Savage 鈥� so it’s no surprise that he flows on Kante with finesse. We also have to recognise the icon status Davido has achieved. Only an icon would sample his old song (Risky) on a new song. 

Questions that’ll keep me up at night: First, it was Odumodublvck with Declan Rice, and now, Davido and Fave have dropped Kante. Are we in the era of songs named after footballers? If we are, then who’s next? 

Na Money featuring The Cavemen and Angelique Kidjo 

Davido, The Cavemen and Angelique Kidjo’s Na Money will make you want to drink palm wine and spray mint new notes (if you can find sha). The highlife tune about romancing a woman with money is classic The Cavemen 鈥� how Benjamin sings “roll” with all those rrrs should be a crime. 

Angelique Kidjo makes a brief but delicious appearance towards the end of the song, and unlike some of her other Nigerian collaborations, she sounds right at home there. Na Money is sure to be one of the timeless songs off of Timeless (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). This is the Davido song you, your mother and your grandmother will fall in love with. 

Question that’ll keep me up at night: Is it me, or is there a part of the song that sounds like it鈥檚 Obongjayar singing? 

Picasso featuring Logos Olori 

Picasso is proof a Davido and Wizkid song would bang really hard. It would be so good that we’d all vote to make it our National Anthem. The guitars, the smooth saxophone, the melody, the overall production, even the featured act, Logos Olori, sounds like Wizkid. Picasso could’ve been on Made in Lagos, and we would’ve eaten it up. The vibe feels like a warm breeze and a glass of white wine without a care in the world. 

Questions that’ll keep me up at night: Is Davido trying to tell Wizkid he’s down for a collab? Do I have to start looking for the deed to my grandfather’s land so I can buy tickets to their joint show? Is nature healing? Will the BVAs work during the next elections? So many questions here. 

No Competition featuring Asake 

Forget how turnt everyone gets when an Asake song comes on. The truth is Ololade Mi is, at his very core, a die-hard romantic. Listen to Terminator again, and tell me it’s not a love song to rival 2Face’s African Queen. 

On No Competition, Asake and Davido try to out-romance each other, with Asake rhyming Angelina Jolie with Indomie, and Davido adding a new word to the Oxford dictionary: 鈥淚stolobo鈥�. These men are down bad for love and unafraid to show it. 

Question that’ll keep me up at night: No, but seriously, what does “Istolobo” mean? I need answers. David Adeleke, rise. Don’t waste my money. 

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Champion Sound featuring Focalistic

This song has been out for over a year, but hearing, “Take me away. Way far away. Oshey far away. Light me up o Faraday” still gets everyone hyped AF. Yes, there are new songs and sizzling collaborations on Timeless, but Champion Sound was and still is THAT girl in Davido’s discography.

Unavailable featuring Musa Keys 

Still maintaining that amapiano bug he caught from Focalistic on the Ke Star remix and Champion Sound, Davido taps South-African singer, Musa Keys (you should definitely check out Selema if you haven’t heard it already), for Unavailable, the perfect rich man middle finger to the haters. It’s almost like Davido took the “No dey look for us. We no dey house” line from Ruger’s Asiwaju and turned it into an amapiano banger. I already know club DJs and people on vacation will rinse this song like crazy. 

Question that’ll keep me up at night: So if Davido is unavailable, should we move to Lojay, who’s announced that he’s very much available? 

U (Juju) featuring Skepta 

How many times has Davido announced that money is not a problem when it comes to the woman he loves? If 1milli wasn’t a big enough PSA, on U (Juju), Davido enlists the internet’s favourite UK daddy rapper, Skepta to convince his woman no amount is too much for him. E for energy. 

I have to hand it to Skepta. He鈥檚 one of the few rappers who understand the importance of not doing too much and letting the lead act shine on a song. U (Juju) sits up there with Energy (Stay Far Away) and Dimension as one of Skepta’s best Nigerian collaborations of all time. 

Questions that’ll keep me up at night: Am I the only one who remembers Ice Prince’s Juju when Davido sang, “Juju dey worry me”? By the way, is egusi soup really the way to Skepta’s heart? Asking for a friend. 

In The Garden featuring Morravey `

Davido has always had a great ear for talent 鈥� Dremo, Mayorkun, Liya and Perruzzi. So it makes total sense his newest Davido Music Worldwide signee, Morravey, is a serious singer to watch out for. Introducing her to us on In The Garden, Davido allows the singer to shine, and she kills it. The subtle guitar in the background is sickening, and the amapiano beat switch when Morravey starts singing, “I’ll change your status”, will cause a madness for anyone listening. 

In The Garden is a bop, but it feels rushed, especially with Davido’s verse. The song should’ve been longer. 

Bop featuring Dexta Daps 

It’s ironic that the song Davido titled Bop is the least boppy bop on the entire album. While production on this song hints at what could’ve been a hit, neither Davido nor Jamaican singer, Dexta Daps, fully taps into its full potential. Bop is not a bad song, but it doesn’t stand a chance when you place it beside all the other sick collaborations on Timeless. 

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