‘Cash App’, ‘Maserati’, ‘Duduke’… 10 hit songs of 2020

Creativity, they say, often sparkles the most in the face of adversity. The year 2020 aptly demonstrated this. 

In spite of the coronavirus pandemic and other attendant challenges that characterised the outgoing year, the Nigerian music industry dazzled with strings of hit songs.

TheCable Lifestyle examines 10 of the most popular songs of 2020.

‘FEM’ — Davido

A record 1.8 million YouTube views in 21 hours after its visuals was released; ‘FEM’, a track off ‘A Better Time‘, Davido’s 2020 album, was no doubt a hit.

From nightclubs to wedding ceremonies, the song has continued to blaze the trail since its release.

‘FEM’, which marked Davido’s return to social media after a short hiatus, also became a protest song during the #EndSARS campaign aimed at tackling police brutality.

Its popularity amid the protest was evidenced when demonstrators used the song to shush  Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, while he was addressing them.

With 16 million YouTube views already and still counting, ‘FEM’ undoubtedly remains one of the hit songs that resonated with many Nigerian music lovers in the outgoing year.

‘Cash App’ — Bella Shmurda

Watch out for Bella Shmurda. Barely many knew him until he released ‘Vision 2020’, his single, in 2019.

But the fast-rising singer has since taken the Nigerian music industry by storm. In November, he released ‘Cash App,’ a hit song, which featured Zlatan Ibile and Lincoln.

A blend of beautiful lyrics and typical Nigerian street vibes, it didn’t take long before the song hit the ground running.

The song has not only become a street anthem but also the go-to-track for many disk-jockers (DJs) at various events.

It also peaked at number four on Billboard’s top triller global chart as of October 24 and maintained the spot for six consecutive weeks. The visuals for the song also snagged 1.3 million views a week after it was released.

With a nomination for ‘Next Rated’ category at the 14 edition of The Headies and a growing fanbase, ‘Cash App’ will go down in history as one of the songs that shot Bella Shmurda into the spotlight.

‘Bad Influence’ — Omah Lay

Omah Lay may have ended the year on a rough note following his arrest and detention in Uganda, but the gifted singer had an impressive stint in the music landscape in 2020 with strings of beautiful projects including ‘Bad Influence’.

A hit track off ‘Get Layd’, his 5-track EP, released in May, ‘Bad Influence’, garnered widespread acceptability among music lovers in the country and dominated numerous charts.

The 23-year-old singer had earlier revealed how the project changed his life and inspired his rise from relative obscurity in 2019 to prominence a few months later.

‘Duduke’ — Simi

‘Duduke‘, Simi’s first single of 2020, is yet another conspicuous testimony of her lyrical prowess.

The romance-oriented single, which Simi described as personal, was one of the most popular songs during the outgoing year.

The song, enriched by concatenating beats and soulful sounds with both a piano and a guitar, has remained a popular jam at nightclubs, weddings, birthdays as well as other events.

With 29 million views on Youtube so far, the visuals for the project has continued to pull the strings since its release.

‘Abule’ — Patoranking

‘Abule‘, a track off ‘Three‘, an album by Patoranking, was another song that garnered widespread popularity among music lovers in Nigeria during the outgoing year.

The project, which captured the unique moments and interesting happenings in a typical rural setting, resonated with several Nigerians and became a sensation shortly after its release.

It also attracted the admiration of Wizkid, a Nigerian music star, who dubbed the song as his “hardest jam.”

‘Nobody’ — DJ Neptune

‘Nobody‘, DJ Neptune’s collaborative single with Mr Eazi and Joeboy, also etched its name among the most popular songs of the year 2020.

A blend of beautiful lyrics and instrumentation, ‘Nobody’ enjoyed massive appeal and acceptance among the youth, considering the choice of love as its thematic underpinning.

DJ Neptune would thereafter release an Amapiano version of the song with vocals from Focalistic, a South African singer.

The project capped off its impressive run for the outgoing year with an Icons remix version featuring Laycon, winner of the 2020 Big Brother Nigeria (BBNaija) reality TV show.

‘In My Maserati’ — Olakira

‘In My Maserati‘, a hit project by Olakira, has continued to pull the strings as one of the most popular songs of the year 2020.

The song, released in July, heralded a new dawn in the singer’s ballooning rise into prominence.

With the focus on luxury and the attendant benefits that comes with being wealthy, ‘In My Maserati,’ dazzled at events and was common among music lovers.

The singer, born Adelusola Adefemi, would later release a remix version of the single with Davido — a development that further increased the song’s popularity.

‘Koroba’ — Tiwa Savage

With a focus on deeply-rooted societal ills in Nigeria, ‘Koroba‘, a track off Tiwa Savage’s ‘Celia‘ album, switched attention from the usual love songs to charge for societal rebirth.

The politically-charged track — despite exploring a theme some would consider ‘boring’ — enjoyed huge success and was among the popular songs that dominated the airwaves for the outgoing year.

‘If No Be You’ — Jamopyper

Jamopyper, a fast-rising singer, may be relatively unknown to many Nigerians in terms of popularity. But there’s no gainsaying that he inspired one of the hit songs of 2020.

‘If No Be You‘, a track wherein he featured Mayorkun, has continued to enjoy a remarkable run since its release.

The project’s simplicity of lyrics, danceable beats as well as relatability made it a street anthem among Nigerian youth and at events.

‘Wonderful’ — Burna Boy

Just like its name, ‘Wonderful‘, a hit song off ‘Twice As Tall‘, Burna Boy’s 2020 album, has had a remarkable ride since its release.

In the project, the ‘African Giant’ crooner addressed the patriotism and day-to-day life of an average Nigerian youth aspiring for greatness, using his own experience.

The song’s popularity is not unconnected to its thematic relevance, unique lyrics as well as beats which makes it the go-to-song for music lovers in search of lovely tunes.

The song has since snagged positive reviews, dominated airwaves, and remains one of the hit songs of the outgoing year.