Uncle Waffles

Hometown: Mbabane, Eswatini

Uncle Waffles tasted international virality in October 2021 thanks to an electrifying video of one of her DJ sets. Her career then took an upward trajectory, with an Africa tour, endorsement deals, and a Drake co-sign in April of this year. Uncle Waffles put the moment to good use and set a clear path for her first body of work as an artist, Red Dragon, home to the standout Amapiano single “Tanzania.” The song’s entrancing six minutes introduce an artist born ready to crossover.

Gigy Money

Hometown: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Gigy Money is a Tanzanian rapper whose fiery delivery provides Tanzania with an antithesis to the popular and often romantic Bongo Flava sound. Born Gift Stanford, Gigy Money had her breakout song in 2018 through "Kiki Ni Gigy,” a lively statement on her character as an artist. “Pressure,” with Tanzanian rapper Whozu, sees the pair flex on non-believers with the success they’re currently enjoying and the lifestyle that accompanies it.

Watch Gigy Money’s live performance for SKYLINE: Tanzania

King Promise

Hometown: Accra, Ghana

Afrobeats is in safe hands in Ghana with King Promise. The Accra native stumbled on music by chance, following his friends to studio sessions before discovering a knack for recording. On albums like 2019’s As Promised and subsequent releases, King Promise’s music plays along the lines of Highlife, Afrobeats, and R&B. Standout “10 Toes” with Nigerian superstar and #UpNow alum Omah Lay is a bold declaration of devotion to a lover.

Alikiba

Hometown: Irina Region, Tanzania

Alikiba’s 2007 debut album Cinderella was an instant hit across East Africa and set album sales records in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. He has become a force in the Bongo Flava scene over the years on the strength of releases like “Hadithi,” “Mwana,” and “AJE,” which present a brand of Bongo Flava reminiscent of the synthesized sounds of the Caribbean Zouk genre. “Niteke” with South African singer Blaq Diamond goes the classic Bongo Flava route, singing about craving love and attention.

Alyn Sano

Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda

Alyn Sano’s introduction to music came through singing in her church choir. However, when she needed money to pay college tuition and sort bills in 2015, she started performing her own songs at local gigs. “Naremewe Wowe” was the first of such songs to be put out into the world in 2018, and its success was the boost she needed to turn a necessary direction into a career of choice. Her latest single “Radiyo” cleverly flows as a connection of multiple sexual innuendos joined by the theme of a radio and sung in Kinyarwanda.

Kataleya & Kandle

Hometown: Kampala, Uganda

Kataleya & Kandle’s origin story begins with a chance encounter at a birthday party where both women met and bonded over their love of music. A pilot-in-training and an air hostess-in-training, respectively, the ladies came together against the odds to fill a gap in female singing duos in Uganda. Shortly after their first outing as a group at a music competition, they were signed by their current label Theron Music. Their music mixes Afrobeats and Zouk, and the track in focus, “Njagala Money,” was coined from a Luganda phrase meaning “I want money.”

Maandy

Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya

Maandy is one of a few female MCs carving out space for women in the Kenyan rap scene. She’s been drawn to the arts since she was a child but only ventured into music after high school when she started practicing to be a DJ. Maandy crossed over to the recording artist side in 2017 and released KABAYA. However, it wasn’t until November 2021 that she was registered as a fan favorite in Kenya with her drill record “Shash na Lipgloss.” “Mmhh Mmhh” is a racy Gengetone tune making the case for sexual liberation among women.

T-Sean

Hometown: Lusaka, Zambia

Sean Richard Mulenga, aka T-Sean, is a reggae and dancehall artist who’s been present in the Zambian scene for over 10 years. T-Sean often uses his music as a platform for commentary on sociopolitical issues in Zambia. Inspired by Iyaz, Sean Paul, and others, he has worked with very well-established Zambian artists and built up his reputation through consistency and quality. On “Bless Me,” T-Sean appeals to God for grace towards him, his family, and his enemies alike.

Ladé

Hometown: Kwara, Nigeria

Ladé first flooded the Nigerian airwaves albeit anonymously, through her work on a primetime TV jingle in 2020. Around June this year, the Nigerian cyberspace got fully behind Ladé’s relatable song “Adulthood Anthem” which chronicled unspoken truths about adult life. A widespread affinity for its candid message helped it blow up on TikTok and put Ladé in the limelight. Re-Upped in June, “Adulthood Anthem” wittingly approaches nostalgia and the craving for a time without responsibilities.

Dieyla Gueye

Hometown: Dakar, Senegal

Dieyla Gueye sings of the joys of a healthy relationship and the fruits of fidelity on “Yaw La,” released in September. The young Senegalese singer is a bag of fusions; Mbalax, jazz, Afrobeats, and gospel. Singing with a silky voice in mostly Wolof, the artist has drawn comparisons to Senegalese legend Coumba Gawlo Seck.

10 African Artists You Should Know (October 2022)

Alikiba Talks Amapiano, Making ‘ONLY ONE KING’ & More for ‘Swahili Radio’