Afrobeats No Carry Last This 2026
Ten months in, Afrobeats has already given us chart-toppers, career-best albums and stages nobody saw coming.
Wizkid and Asake set the pace in January with a joint EP, Real, Vol. 1, which went to No. 1 on TurnTable’s Nigerian albums chart. Its lead single, Jogodo, was on everybody’s lips until M$NEY arrived and spent 11 straight weeks at No. 1 on Spotify Nigeria’s weekly albums chart.
The album run went deeper than one name. Omah Lay’s long-awaited sophomore album, Clarity of Mind, landed on 3 April, and everybody swears it’s the best thing since pepper soup. They’re not wrong. In August, Ayra Starr followed with her third album, StarrGirl, a breath of fresh air that weaved different genres into one cohesive record.
The biggest crossover came from rap. Chanel, Blaqbonez’s May single with Asake, surprised everybody with how naturally the two connected. It gave Blaqbonez his first No. 1 on the Official Nigeria Top 100, where it held for four straight weeks, and this month he followed it with his album Nomadinho: 4th Prime.
The streets had their say too. Tml Vibez returned this October with A Street Kid’s Diary (Disk 2), the follow-up to last year’s A Street Kid’s Diary. The first disk told his come-up story while this one wrestles with what success feels like. He collaborates with Blaqbonez, Shoday, Lasmid, and Ayo Maff.
Then the stages got bigger. At Coachella, Davido performed, Tems joined Justin Bieber on the main stage, and Wizkid came out to share the moment. At the World Cup opener in Mexico City, Burna Boy joined Shakira for Dai Dai, and Rema performed Goals at SoFi Stadium the next day. On 11 October in London, Ayra Starr became the first African artist to headline an NFL International Games halftime show.
The next class is already moving. FOLA was named Best African Act at the 2026 NXT Honors, Shoday made Audiomack’s Artists to Watch list, and Realize by Rybeena and Bhadboi OML has announced two new voices. Solana brought a fresh, Yoruba-led Afro-fusion sound, while Danpapa GTA and NO11 have been tipped to break through next.
Two months left, and Afrobeats still no carry last. Stream the Afrobeats 2026 playlist on Mdundo for top picks from Blaqbonez, Mr Eazi and Tml Vibez, and relive the year as it happens. Follow it for updates and download it now on https://mdundo.ws/Afrobeats2026
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