This is simply a nostalgic think piece — a small attempt to ask why we keep craving the Afrobeats we once had.
People love to argue that 2016 and 2017 were unbeatable years for Nigerian music, and truthfully, they weren’t lying. But 2018 and 2019 deserve their flowers too. That was when a wave of Gen Z artists rose at once and completely reshaped the sound again.
Those years brought in Fireboy DML, Joeboy, and Rema, while also opening the door wider for artists like Oxlade and Blaqbonez. The water was so clear then. The energy felt fresh. It was one of those rare moments where everyone seemed to rise at the same time. As Rema spread his wings and leaned into his sonic experiments, Fireboy and Joeboy stepped into the lane of soft-voiced sweethearts with the kind of music that instantly made the girls fall in love.
Rema came in with “Dumebi,” Fireboy broke out with “Jealous,” and Joeboy dropped “Baby.” When you think back to the first time you heard these songs, you remember how good that period felt. It was fun. Artists didn’t just show up, they arrived with hits that actually stuck, and the expectations around them felt justified.
Rema, especially, refused to be boxed in. He flirted with rap, leaned into harmonies, wrote about love in ways that didn’t feel recycled, and positioned himself as someone who understood how important creativity is for longevity.
Joeboy and Fireboy stayed consistent in their lane too. Their music felt intentional. Fireboy’s debut album, ‘Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps’ still stands as one of the strongest first statements we’ve seen in modern Nigerian music.
Different eras have given us different peaks — the early 2010s, the 2016/2017 run, and the 2018/2019 takeover. But at some point, it stops there. Right now, there’s nothing as thrilling happening in Afrobeats when it comes to new artists or the kind of music that usually signals a fresh wave.
So what we have left is nostalgia. The memory of what it felt like to wait for a new breakout, to argue about who deserved Next Rated at The Headies, to genuinely feel the rush of discovery.
When we think about the future of Afrobeats, things feel dimmer than before. There was a time you could confidently point at an artist and say, “This one will last.” Rema is a perfect example. However, it has now become harder to make that call. The last time we witnessed a true, undeniable takeover was when Asake appeared and instantly became the industry’s obsession.
In real time, we’re watching Afrobeats thin out, and interest is dropping. The obvious question is, why? Are the new acts simply not good enough? Or are we so attached to the past that we’d rather sit inside the nostalgia than embrace what’s trying to grow right in front of us?
Maybe it’s a bit of both. Maybe the music isn’t hitting the way it used to, and maybe we’re also holding on too tightly to the eras that shaped us. Nostalgia is comforting. It reminds us of when Afrobeats felt new every few months, when a fresh name could appear out of nowhere and change everything.
Still, music rarely stays still for long. Another wave will eventually come (who knows if it’s even here?), and when it does, it will reshape the conversation in ways we might not yet see. Until then, the late 2010s remain one of those rare periods in Afrobeats history that people will keep returning to, remembering what it felt like when everything seemed to be happening at once.
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