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Nigerian artist Runtown made a rapid ascent to stardom in 2014 with the hit single "Gallardo," a collaboration with fellow Nigerian singer Davido. A singer, songwriter, and producer, Runtown's Afro-fusion mix of R&B, rap, and reggae helped his 2015 debut album, Ghetto University, pull big numbers. His popularity continued over the next several years with singles like "Mad Over You," "For Life," and "Unleash," featuring Fekky.

Born Douglas Jack Agu in Enugu, he later moved to Lagos with friend and fellow singer Phyno in the late 2000s, where they began to establish themselves with their own label, Penthauz. Runtown found some minor success with early singles like "Party Like It's 1980" and the Timaya collaboration "Aunty Tolu," but it was "Gallardo," his 2014 collaboration with Davido, that brought him into the spotlight. The lead single from his 2015 debut album, Ghetto University, "Gallardo" proved to be a major hit and won the prize for Best Collaboration of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Over the next year, Runtown issued several more popular singles from the record including "The Banger" featuring Uhuru and "Bend Down Pause" featuring WizKid. In 2016, he scored an even bigger hit with his ballad "Mad Over You," a smooth mix of Ghanaian highlife and R&B. 2017's "For Life" also fared well and in 2019 he issued the EP Tradition. 2020 brought the DarkoVibes and Bella Shmurda collaboration "Boddy Riddim," as well as "Angel of My Life" with Paul Play. ~ Timothy Monger

Thanks to some extensive support from his producer brother, Reekado Banks became a commercially successful pop singer and songwriter in his native Nigeria in 2014, the year he made his commercial debut and won a Heady award as a part of the Mavins, the all-star group offshoot of Don Jazzy's Mavin label. Banks' debut solo album, Spotlight, followed two years later and also won a Heady, affirming the artist's high rank in the Afropop realm.

Born Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon, Reekado Banks was raised in a religious and musical household. The Lagos native started recording in his early teens with support from his brother, who offered knowledge regarding singing, writing, and producing and also worked with him on early recordings. Banks' brother submitted some material to an online talent competition that resulted in a deal with Mavin. Banks debuted in 2014, releasing a handful of singles and appearing on tracks such as the Mavins' "Dorobucci," a group effort that also featured Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, and other label affiliates. That year, "Dorobucci" was nominated for a handful of awards at the Headies -- an annual ceremony that celebrates the Nigerian music industry -- and won in the category of Best Pop Single. Additional singles highlighted by "Katapot" arrived through 2015, the year Banks won Headies for Next Rated and Video of the Year, and led to the 2016 album Spotlight, which won that year's Heady for Best Album. Subsequent singles, including the Duncan Mighty collaboration "Bio Bio," arrived across 2017 and 2018. ~ Andy Kellman

Eschewing an academic career in favor of music, Hackney, East London born and bred rapper Not3s put all his time and effort into developing his career, rising from online obscurity to being signed by a major label in a relatively short time. Drawing inspiration not only from his local underground grime scene but also his Nigerian heritage, Not3s helped push the sound of Afro-bashment to a new level with the release of the track "Addison Lee" in early 2017. Racking up a huge amount of online views, the track was picked up by Relentless Records (home to Professor Green and Nadia Rose), which issued the release as Not3s' debut single a few months later. Two follow-up tracks, "Notice" and "Aladdin," appeared soon after. ~ Rich Wilson

Nigerian singer/songwriter Seyi Shay first found fame as part of girl group From Above before embarking on a solo career fusing Afropop and R&B. Her debut album, Seyi or Shay, appeared in 2015, and she became an integral part of the Nigerian music scene before following it up with 2021's Big Girl.

Born and raised in Tottenham, North London to Nigerian parents, Seyi Shay (aka Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua) was introduced to music at an early age, performing in her local community choir before finding her own voice while in high school. Early sessions with Grammy-nominated producer Harmony Samuels (Chip, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Rowland) while still in school cemented Shay's passion for music, and she eventually earned a BA in Music Business. By 2006, Shay had formed a group under the name Boadicea, but after a short spell the outfit went their separate ways, with Shay auditioning for another girl group, From Above, which had been created by Destiny's Child manager Matthew Knowles. Put through their paces on the 2011 MTV show Breaking from Above, the group performed as support on the U.K. leg of Beyoncé's I Am… World Tour, and released the album Breaking from Above. Following its release, the group split, with Shay moving to Nigeria to embark on a solo career.

2011 saw her release her debut single, "Loving Your Way," the blend of Afropop, R&B, and hip-hop was a new direction for Shay, and a string of singles followed, including the Wizkid collaboration "Crazy," before she issued her debut solo album, Seyi or Shay, in 2015. Over the next couple of years she issued more singles and became an integral part of the Afropop scene, which had exploded across the globe. By 2021, she had signed a deal with Nigerian label Aristokrat Records, become a judge on the sixth edition of the talent show Nigerian Idol, and embarked on an acting career with a part in Lara and the Beat. Returning to music at the end of the year, she issued her sophomore album, Big Girl, in December, which saw her working with producers from Lagos, London, and L.A. ~ Rich Wilson