The 25 Best Ghanaian Songs of 2020
Featuring Kuami Eugene, Amaarae, Sarkodie, Medikal, Bosom P-Yung, Kwesi Arthur, Darkovibes, Stonebwoy and many more.
What a year 2020 has been! This year the entire world was hit hard. Airports, schools, and just about everything else was shut down as the world scrambled to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Despite how uncomfortable the situation has been, a lot of us are grateful for is the fact that there's one thing that didn't come to a stand still: music.
One could easily think that the pandemic might dampen the creativity of musicians around the world, but that wasn't the case. All our favorite artists still put their best foot forward, coming through with the soundtracks to all of 2020's craziness as we transitioned from lockdowns and quarantines to mask-wearing. The Ghanaian music scene got impressive debut albums and EPs, star-studded collaborations, and so much more. In addition, one of the highlights of 2020 came in the last quarter of the year, the discovery of a super talented group of rappers stewarding a flourishing drill scene birthed in Kumasi, the capital city of Ghana's Ashanti Region.
Here, we walk you through our list of 25 picks of the best Ghanaian songs that dropped this year. Listed in no particular order.
Bosom P-Yung 'Attaa Adwoa'
January gave birth to a brand new viral sensation, as rapper Bosom P-Yung strode into the limelight with his uber-catchy tune "Attaa Adwoa." Bosom spilled rap-sung melodies all over the trap beat, delivering an animated performance of the heartbreak anthem. He then went on to prove that he isn't just a one-hit wonder, issuing a string of well-received singles and features throughout the year.
Kuami Eugene 'Open Gate'
With "Open Gate", Ghanaian singer and Lynx Entertainment act Kuami Eugene scored his first solo hit of the year, as well as what could easily be the biggest Ghanaian afrobeats single of 2020. The uptempo afrobeats tune was also the lead single of Kuami Eugene's second studio album Son of Africa, which he released in September. The project was critically acclaimed, an impressive 14-track offering from one of afrobeats' brightest stars.
Kwesi Arthur 'Live From 233'
In September, rapper Kwesi Arthur dropped an EP to appease his fans who have been eagerly waiting for an album from him. It's a brief affair containing just 3 songs, but it seems to have done the trick, because from it came this patriot's anthem "Live From 233."
Medikal 'La Hustle' Remix ft. Criss Wadde & Joey B
Ghana's new and highly-buzzing drill scene got blazing hot additions, not just from emerging acts but from A-listers. Rapper Medikal issues a brand new drill single titled "La Hustle (Remix)." He teamed up with Joey B and Criss Waddle and the trio went ham, creating an instant anthem.
Amaarae 'FANCY'
Amaarae is a bad bitch, so it's only right that the lead single to her debut album would be a bad bitch anthem. Amaarae laces the trap and R&B fusion with her signature falsetto, spilling sensuality all over the track. She teamed up with David Nicol-Sey to deliver a video as striking as the song itself, complete with a blue Aston Martin and a full-body leather jumpsuit. Amaarae in her element is a beauty to behold.
KiDi 'Say Cheese'
In May, Lynx Entertainment singer KiDi issued a project titled the Blue EP. With five tracks of all new material, he aimed to calm and comfort listeners during these times. Our pick from the EP is his single "Say Cheese," an afrobeats cut with a fun home video full of beautiful women, directed by KiDi himself. You can check out our interview with KiDi about the EP here.
Sarkodie 'Anadwo' ft. King Promise
Multiple award-winning rapper Sarkodie dished out the official video for "Anadwo" alongside King Promise, one of the standout tunes off his 2019 album Black Love. A smooth and romantic ballad, the two stars issue the perfect soundtrack for the love-afflicted.
Stonebwoy 'Nominate' ft. Keri Hilson
This year Ghanaian dancehall titan Stonebwoy dropped his much-anticipated fourth studio album Anloga Junction. Accompanying the album on the same day was the music video for one of the lead singles, "Nominate" featuring American singer Keri Hilson. Stonebwoy brought "Miss Keri baby!" out of retirement for her first feature in ten years, resulting in one of the best international collaborations of 2020, worldwide.
Darkovibes 'Inna Song (Gin & Lime)' ft. King Promise
arkovibes dropped two projects this year, the 14-track Kpanlogo and 7-track offering The Cornerstone. From Kpanlogo is the lead single "Inna Song" featuring King Promise, an infectious number which quickly made its way to the afrobeats mainstream.
GuiltyBeatz 'Uthando' ft. Nonso Amadi
In April, Ghanaian producer and disk jockey GuiltyBeatz issued his debut project Different, a 6-track package of sonic bliss. The entire project as a whole is impressive, but one of the standout joints is his collaboration with Nigerian singer Nonso Amadi titled "Uthando," where the singer and producer team up to deliver a lovely interpretation of the buzzing South African genre amapiano.
Efya 'The One' ft. Tiwa Savage
Pan-African collaborations from female music heavyweights aren't something that come around often, so it was definitely a pleasure to witness this one. Renowned soul singer Efya teamed up with Nigerian afrobeats star Tiwa Savage for Efya's second single of the year titled "The One." Blaqjerzee furnishes the duo with an afro-fusion production reminiscent of early 2000's R&B, and two of West Africa's biggest stars proceed to remind us of summertime love.
Dead Peepol x RichKent 'Otan Hunu' Remix
Ghana's drill scene keeps the heat coming with the official remix to one of the most notable songs of the movement. Kumasi based Ghanaian rappers Dead Peepol and Rich Kent have finally released the long awaited remix of their breakout single "Otan Hunu." The star-studded remix features Malcolm Nuna, Kuami Eugene, Medikal, Bosom P-Yung, Tulenkey, Deon Boakye & Fameye. Need we say more?
Kelvyn Boy 'MOMO' ft. Darkovibes & Mugeez
Kelvyn Boy has quickly proven to be one of Ghana's most solid hitmakers. "MOMO," short for "mobile money" is testament to the lengths Kelvyn Boy is willing to go to get the girl he wants, which includes spending money in various currencies. On the assist is Darkovibes and R2bees singer Mugeez, adding some valuable star power to the already infectious joint.
Keche 'No Dulling' ft. Kuami Eugene
Who would've thought Keche would make a comeback in 2020? But they indeed did and actually delivered one of the biggest hits of 2020, the Kuami Eugene-assisted "No Dulling." Kuami Eugene is without a doubt the hottest Ghanaian artist of 2020, so you definitely can't deny his influence in making this song a hit.
Yaw TOG – 'SORE' ft. O`kenneth,City Boy, Reggie, & Jay bahd
With the discovery of the "Kumerica" rap community and its flourishing Drill scene (called "Asakaa") came the rise of one of the fledgling movement's biggest stars – Yaw TOG. Yaw TOG delivered "Sore", which is probably the most notable song of the Asakaa movement. "Sore" recently hit a million views on YouTube, understandably so.
King Promise 'Sisa'
The year wouldn't be complete without a hit from King Promise, would it? He surely didn't disappoint either, as in February the Legacy Life Entertainment singer dropped "Sisa," a mid-tempo afrobeats bop that's as romantic as it is enjoyable.
Fameye 'Fly Away'
This year Ghanaian singer Fameye churned out his eagerly awaited debut album, Greater Than. The Ghana Music Awards 'New Artist of the Year' showcased his dynamism and lyrical dexterity on this 10-track project, which features Pappy Kojo, M.anifest, Bisa Kdei, KiDi and more. Our favorite from the album is "Fly Away," and judging from how good this song is, Fameye may be new to the scene but his music making skills aren't. A stellar effort from the newcomer.
B4Bonah 'Work'
A year away from dropping his hit single "Kpeme" featuring Mugeez, B4Bonah came back again with a brand new solo offering. It's titled "Work", an Afrobeats piece with fun and energetic melodies where the singer encourages hard work, and the willpower to keep pushing, no matter your kind of work.
Stonebwoy 'Ever Lasting'
One of the most infectious songs from the Anloga Junction album, it's no surprise this song caught on because it's dancehall perfection. "Ever Lasting" is a celebration of women, but the song is such a jam that if you don't pay close attention to the lyrics you might not even notice. Stonebwoy's wife and kids feature in the music video, giving an adorable touch to an otherwise butch affair.
Kwesi Arthur 'Turn On The Lights'
Kwesi Arthur came through in 2020. In the first quarter of the year, the rapper and singer issued this mid-tempo afro-R&B cut titled "Turn On The Lights," where he sings in earnest to the girl of his dreams, floating all over the Yung D3mz production and nodding to Future's single of the same name. A solid tune!
Kelvyn Boy 'Mata'
Kelvyn Boy's second entry into the list is "Mata". "Mata"was the precursor to his debut album Black Star which dropped on October 30. The buzzing star singer delivered another bonafide afrobeats hit on the Samsney production.
Joey B 'AKOBAM' ft. Kofi Mole & Medikal
The influence of the Kumericans spilled over to the mainstream, leading to our favorite A-listers jumping on the drill wave. This was very much to listeners pleasure though as it resulted in the absolute banger that is "AKOBAM". Led by Joey B, three of Ghana's most charismatic rappers team up, and they deliver a drill banger full of quotables that will ring in your head long after the song has stopped.
Amaarae 'Jumping Ship' ft. Kojey Radical & Cruel Santino
Amaarae was definitely one of 2020's brightest stars. Another single from her debut album The Angel You Don't Know, is the pop-tinged R&B cut "Jumping Ship," a party girl anthem. On this one Amaarae boldly expresses her readiness to leave her current relationship for the next one, floating all the way through the song that's highly reminiscent of booze, blunts, and sex.
Sarkodie 'Happy Day' ft. Kuami Eugene
This song came accompanied with a bit of controversy due to the political endorsement issued by Sarkodie in his verses in favor of the current Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of the nation's upcoming elections. Despite the stir it created, you can't deny that this song is one of the standouts of 2020. Doubt it? A listen will convince you.
Killbeatz, King Promise & Ofori Amponsah 'Odo Nti'
In early October, Ghanaian super producer Killbeatz came through with his debut EP. His very first project is a collaborative effot with singers King Promise and highlife singer Ofori Amponsah, and features Joey B, Darkovibes, and Sarkodie across its four tracks. Killbeatz is well known for producing classics, and this one is no different.
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