Last updated on November 25th, 2022 at 01:10 pm
Top 20 Most Famous Artists In Africa 2021
Who are the top 20 most popular musicians in Africa today? The 20 most popular musical acts in Africa right now include:
- Die Antwoord
- Mr Eazi
- Tekno
- Nasty C
- Shatta Wale
- Youssou N’Dour
- Sauti Sol
- Angelique Kidjo
- Awilo Logomba
- Sarkodie
Die Antwoord (From South Africa)
Antwoord has been a force to reckon with since its debut in the South African music industry.
The group is one of the richest in the SA music industry when you and I talk about net worth.
Their music has been mostly hit and some of their songs have done more than 200 million views in Africa.
As a matter of fact, when I made a compilation of the most viewed African music videos on YouTube Africa, these guys were in the top 10.
Their fame continues to reach other African countries and the group consists of Watkin Tudor “Ninja” Jones and Anri “Yolandi Visser” du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers HITEK5000 and Lil2Hood.
Die Antwood as a music group has won lots of Antwood in the SA music industry.
The group sits comfortably at the 11th position of most popular musicians in Africa.
If you haven’t listened to any of their songs then it’s time to check these ones out.
Mr Eazi (From Nigeria West Africa)
Eazi has been one influential musician in Africa especially since he founded the Empawa Africa program.
It was through this program that Joeboy was discovered and is now killing it in the industry.
Since Mr Eazi’s debut in the industry, he has been a force to reckon with and stay consistent.
His last body of work is the EP where he featured Kenya artist on the song Cherry.
You really need to check out that one song because it is a beauty.
Mr Eazi’s wealth has also continued to grow with each passing year and when I wrote about his net worth, I was surprised he is worth that much.
If you have not listened to any of his tracks then I suggest you start by listening to tracks like The Don.
Tekno (From Nigeria West Africa)
Tekno has been an impressive figure since gaining fame in 2015 with his song Pana which currently has more than 100 million views.
The song is one of the most viewed songs on YouTube in Nigeria.
Tekno’s popularity also grew with that one song touring Africa and Europe after which he was signed to UMGA on 3 singles.
By the time Tekno released Wash and Dana, he had already become a household name in Africa.
What all these songs did was skyrocket his net worth while also making him one of the A-list celebs in the country.
His last body of work has received massive praise but fell short of the charts.
If you have not listened to any of Tekno’s songs then it is time for you to check out Skeletun, Designer, and Agege featuring Zlatan Ibile.
Nasty C (From South Africa)
South African musicians are mostly focused on hip hop which is a genre that’s almost extinct in Africa.
The good thing is South Africa is still holding on to dear life since hip hop is the go-to genre here.
Nasty C has been one of the beautiful names that came out of South Africa and he is currently one of the most popular musicians in South Africa.
His most recent body of work proves why he is slowly usurping some of the big names in SA.
I recently wrote a piece on his net worth and that of Nigerian musician Rema (it was basically about who the richest was).
You should definitely check it out…
Since we are still talking about Nasty C’s rise to fame, his most recent body of work was featured in Coming To America 2.
You can stream and listen to that song here plus I am positive you will love it.
If you haven’t listened to any of his songs before now then please try out his album Zulu Man With Some Power.
It is an incredible album that will give you chills especially when you get to tracks like All In featuring American rapper T.I.
Shatta Wale (From Ghana West Africa)
The West has been tremendous in ditching out music talents.
One such talent comes from Ghana and it is in the person of Shatta Wale who has had an incredible career.
Shatta Wale’s ability to drop songs almost every week has earned him respect in the Ghana music industry.
Did I forget to mention that he is also one of the richest musicians in Ghana?
When I wrote a piece on who is richer between him and Sarkodie, I discovered that he is rich.
Shatta Wale was a feature on Beyonce Lion King’s album which made the news in 2020.
If you fast forward to this year, he has become one of the most influential musicians in Ghana and also one of the top 10 most popular musicians in Ghana.
You definitely would love his songs as a dancehall artist.
You can start by listening to 1 Don then slowly walk your way through his other songs.
Youssou N’Dour (From Senegal Central Africa)
Youssou N’Dour is an incredible name in the music environment thanks to his contribution to music in Africa.
N’Dour was featured on the Burnaboy TAT album which won big at the 63rd edition of the Grammy.
N’Dour’s success was also loud when he made lots of beautiful songs in 2020.
But these are not even the reason he made this list.
The man has been consistent for over 2 decades and much like Koffi Olomide his musical prowess has earned him recognition across Africa.
He is on the same popularity level as Papa Wemba but since he is dead, I had to exempt him from this list.
Now, if you have not listened to anything from Youssou N’Dour then take the time to check these tracks out.
You would be blown away honestly.
Sauti Sol (From Kenya East Africa)
Kenya has been a powerhouse when it comes to music from East Africa, you know.
There are names you probably haven’t heard about in Kenya but these ones have been featured far and wide in Africa.
They have been featured severally in Nigeria, and other parts of the continent.
The group was brought together back in 2005 as an Acapella group before it became an Afro-pop band.
As they continue to make progress on the music stage, their name was quickly changed to Sauti Sol.
Sauti Sol has a deal with Universal Music Group and has won MTV Europe Music Award.
If you have not enjoyed any of their songs then it is high time you take the time to listen to one.
Angelique Kidjo (From Benin West Africa)
The only generation that would be totally new to the sounds of Angelique Kidjo is Generation Z.
This is because Kidjo rose to fame when Millennials were gradually knowing what it means to listen to music.
During the 2019 Grammy award, It was Kidjo beat Burnaboy to the award, and she has been on the world stage for a long time.
Her song with Yemi Alade titled Shekere currently has more than 10 million views on YouTube
She also featured Yemi Alade on a track some time back and you really would love her style.
So far Kidjo is the old school that is still giving you and me the chance to experience beautiful sounds.
If you have not listened to any of her songs then it is time you try Wombolombo.
Awilo Logomba (From DR Congo East Africa)
These are some of the oldest names on this list, you know.
Awilo Logomba is one of the top 10 most popular musicians in Central Africa.
I remember his songs shaking every nuke and cranny with the Makossa dance.
He made it popular and it even took over Nigeria during the time with so many dance groups incorporating it into their dance routine.
Awilo Logomba has been featured by the likes of African Giants Psquare and a lot of others.
He is old school but you definitely would enjoy his songs and dance your ass out.
Sarkodie (From Ghana West Africa)
From the 2010s to date Ghana has been steadily climbing the ranks of music in Africa.
Today, they have several leading artists moving Ghana music to the forefront of African music.
Sarkodie is one of such artists who has been very influential in promoting Ghana hip hop to the world while rapping in his native tongue Twi.
Sarkodie featuring Nigerian singer Rudeboy made me really start paying attention to the rapper.
He is beautiful and has been an amazing talent since his debut in the Ghanaian music industry.
He is easily one of the most popular musicians in Ghana while also being one of the most popular hip hop musicians in Africa.
If you haven’t checked out some of his songs then I suggest you enjoy a happy day featuring Kuane Eugene and Hasta LA Vista featuring Zlatan Ibile.
Click the next button to discover 7 more persons on this list.
