Artists That Caught My Ear

The year 2020 wasn't an amazing year for everyone. Many people stumbled through the year and just about made it. Some hated the whole year, while others were able to make the most out of it. And of course, African Drops was officially founded in the year 2020. But something that we can't deny is that 2020 didn't disappoint.

Even though we weren't able to hear our favourite songs played at festivals and clubs. We were still blessed with many amazing musical projects. And this is not only in the industry of Afro-Music. All music genres have had projects released that are surely in many playlists made.

For this Journey posts, I decided to talk about some artists that have caught my ear in the year 2020, and that I look forward to hearing more of. I'll be mentioning artists that I heard for the first time in 2020.

First up on the list is Yung Dada. Repping both Ghana and The Netherlands, Yung Dada is an exciting Afrobeats singer & rapper. I got introduced to Yung Dada by a friend, who sent me an Instagram post of the announcement for the video clip of his single 'Ayo'. That was all it took for me to know that Yung Dada was going onto the AD playlist. I highly recommend watching the video for 'Ayo' as it has great visuals and the song is a must-hear. Yung Dada plays around with various smooth flows that do nothing else but glide on the beat. And sings melodies that you can't help but want to dance to. 

Next on the list is an artist that has been around for over a decade. Some of you might crucify me for only just discovering his music. It's the Jamaican Reggae artist, Protoje. A big name in his genre, and for good reasons. I came across Protoje on an evening of new music hunting. Going through YouTube and just playing random songs I've not heard before but recommended by YouTube. Like Royalty, was the first song that I listened to by Protoje. The featuring of the song, Popcaan, was the reason why I decided to listen to it. But even though Popcaan did his thing and delivered a great addition to the song, Protoje impressed me more and grabbed my interest almost immediately. I soon after listened to the full album 'In Search Of Lost Time'. An album where Protoje creates a blend made in the reggae and rap/hiphop heavens. If you're a fan of both genres, then please, go listen to that album. You'll thank us later.

 And final on the list, are the boys of the 'Sore' song from Ghana. I'm talking about Yaw Tog, O`Kenneth, City Boy, Reggie & Jay Bahd. This group of Ghanaian rappers popped up out of nowhere with the single Sore. The chorus of the song goes 'Yebe sore', which is Twi for 'We will rise', and rise they did. Their collaboration with the UK producer ChrisRichBeats was a success and created a hype around them. Fans of UK Hip-Hop and Drill music were on social media letting their followings know how much they rate the song. Especially for people with roots in Ghana this was a hype. To see the influence of UK music reach Ghana like that, but made into their own. Even without understanding the lyrics of the song, you will know this is a straight banger. Each artist did their own thing on this song, and killed it in their own way. Showing that African artists can be just as hard. I'm excited to see what more is to come from these guys and if the hype will grow into a big genre for more Africans. A remix of this song is expected to come out with the UK giant Stormzy, maybe that will give these boys the push they need to go even further with their music.

Of course there are many more artists that I discovered in the past year that I can't wait to hear more of. I'll be sure to always stay curious and hungry for new music. Lets hope this year has more great projects awaiting us. Follow our Spotify playlist to keep an eye out on what new songs we enjoy, in all genres that speaks to team African Drops.

Which artists did you guys enjoy the most in 2020 and who are you excited for in 2021? Let us know! 

Thanks for reading and we'll see you for the next Journey post.


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