Albums to watch out for in 2012

By virtue of their emergence or resurgence, as the case maybe, the fortune and fate of a number of artistes will be dependent largely on their releasing a full body of works this year. Some of the artistes on this intersection of fame and anonymity are chronicled here – with why Nigerians can’t wait for them to drop a new or debut album.


Tiwa Savage – In the history of Nigerian hip hop, no female singer has packed as much acceptance and applause into a less than one year stint on the home-grown music scene as Tiwa Savage. Do not bother subjecting this assertion to conjectures. Ms Savage came well acquitted. Leggy and sexy and quite generous with flashing her gasp-inducing femininity in our faces, she first had music-loving Nigerians doing a double take when she released the video of her introductory single, Kele Kele Love. When her second single, Love Me (X3), accompanied with a smouldering, video was released, Tiwa had successfully enraptured and enchanted music lovers from Lagos to Lafia and Maiduguri and everywhere else. A Grammy nominee, Tiwa sealed her place as the hottest female musician in Nigeria when she featured elusive but acclaimed producer-singer, Don Jazzy, on her third single, Without My Heart. However, as fans feverishly anticipate her full album, Tiwa must come to terms with the fact that an album is not going to survive on a few popular singles alone. Neither would it survive on sex appeal.



Wande Coal – So many reasons account for why a Wande Coal album tops the list of must-release this year. One, it would help the dark-hued, rotund singer return to the top of the pecking order of Nigerian acts. Two, it will douse for good, rumours that he is no more with Mo’Hits over issues bordering on insubordination and dissatisfaction. Three, refusal to release an album will not augur well for his career having been in anonymity for the past two years. Four, a Wande Coal album will give R and B lovers an album to cop and cherish for a long time. Wande has not released an album since his debut, Mushin to Mo’Hits was released in 2009.

When the hues and cries that his label bosses were deliberately stifling the young man reached deafening decibel, three singles were simultaneously released late last year Inside sources at the label however maintain that a Wande Coal album is not too feasible because Mo’Hits vice president and flagship artiste, D’banj, who already has about four chart-topping singles, will release his fourth studio album this year. It is yet to be seen whether both best selling artistes will release their albums in the same year without one affecting the other. Not forgetting that the label’s President, Don Jazzy’s younger brother, D’Prince is also gearing up for a full-fledged career, having released a number of singles that are equally doing well. This is the dilemma confronting Wande and by extension, his fans.



Waje – 2011 was the year Waje really came into her own as a solo artiste after many years of being in the background, backing other artistes. An enviable vocalist, Waje’s string of successful singles and collaborations ensured that she was busy all year round. These also ensured that music fans did not stop asking when her full-length album will hit the shelves. The only thing Waje’s album has not got, perhaps, is a date of release. Every other thing seems set. She has been working out, apparently to look good for her album sleeve and videos. In fact, the album is already entitled Words Aren’t Just Enough to form the acronym, WAJE. Hopefully, she will break the jinx this year.



Kel – Rapper, Kelechi Ohia otherwise known as Kel’s heat is no longer as hot as it was in 2008 when she burst on to the music scene with her ground breaking single, Wa Wa Alright, rocking clubs and dance floors across the country. With that single, Kel earned rave reviews from hip hop heads and was earmarked for greatness. She did catch a whiff of greatness but didn’t get anywhere near it. Then came her debut album in 2010, The Investment, which was a commercial flop. Shortly after the release of the album, she fell out with her label boss, Clarence Peters over contractual issues and since then, has not been affiliated with another label. The hitherto sexy rapper, whose famed sexiness has since given way to a ballooning figure, released three new singles mid 2011 but they did not even elicit a whimper from her die-hard fans. Will Kel bounce back to reckoning with another album in 2012? Only time will tell.

 
Davido – Everywhere you turn these days, the music of Davido, whose real name is David Adedeji Adeleke, is bound to filter into your ears. From Managere to Dami Duro and Back When, the young starlet is gradually inching his way into reckoning. Other things being equally, Davido, a singer-producer and certified silverspoon kid who made a roaring debut on the music scene, would release his debut album this year to underscore the fact that he is not a fluke after all.



Weird MC – Six years have passed since rappertainer, Weird MC, released an album; her sophomore, After Da Storm, containing the career-defining song, Ijo Ya. Speculations about a third album have become the sing-song every other year since then. But in 2011, the female rap pioneer made concerted moves towards her third album tentatively entitled Broken Silence, by releasing two singles, Jehovah and Happy Day. It is hoped that when the album eventually becomes reality, Weird MC, will teach newbie in the game that her position as queen would not be usurped anytime soon.



Sasha – Though pretty visible in the industry, Storm Records artiste and self-styled First Lady, Sasha, has yet to consolidate on the relative success of her debut album with another full-length album. Instead, she has been involved in collaborations with other Nigerian and African artistes, notably Mozambican Dama Do Bling, which have helped to retain her relevance but not shored it up. Her proposed sophomore, Sasha Speaks, has been in the works for the past two years.