Asake and Blaqbonez have reunited for their new single “Ikebe 3000,” released shortly after their charting collaboration “Chanel.”
The new song marks the pair’s second collaboration of 2026, following “Chanel,” which reached No. 3 on the UK Official Afrobeats Chart.
“Ikebe 3000” brings the two artists together again, with Blaqbonez handling the rap sections and Asake contributing vocals over percussion-driven production.
The song arrives ahead of Blaqbonez’s upcoming album, “NOMADINHO: 4TH PRIME,” scheduled for release on October 16, 2026.
Tyla has announced Nigerian singer Bloody Civilian as a special guest on her “A*POP” world tour.
The tour, which supports Tyla’s second studio album “A*POP,” is scheduled to begin in Paris on October 12, 2026, before continuing through Europe, the UK and North America. The tour was initially announced as a 34-date run, including a Lagos date scheduled for December 22.
Bloody Civilian is listed alongside South African DJ and producer Royal MusiQ on the supporting lineup for several European and UK dates. Live Nation lists both artists as support acts for the Amsterdam show on October 13, while Ticketmaster’s listings for Tyla’s London shows on October 15 and 16 also include Bloody Civilian and Royal MusiQ.
The tour is scheduled to include stops in cities including Amsterdam, London, Glasgow, Manchester and Brussels before moving to North America. Tyla’s South African homecoming dates are scheduled for Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9, 2027.
Tyla had initially included Lagos as a stop on the tour, with a concert scheduled for December 22. The date was later removed from the tour itinerary following backlash and boycott calls from some Nigerians over renewed concerns about xenophobic attacks and the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa. Neither Tyla nor her management publicly explained the removal of the Lagos date.
Tyla released “A*POP” on July 24, 2026. The 14-track album includes “CHANEL,” “IS IT,” “IS IT LOVE” and “SHE DID IT AGAIN” featuring Zara Larsson.
South African artist De’Max has released the new single “You Found Me,” a Soul Amapiano track that combines Amapiano rhythms with Afrobeat influences.
The song focuses on resilience, personal growth and continuing to move forward through difficult periods. De’Max delivers the themes through emotionally driven vocals over deep grooves and atmospheric production.
“You Found Me” forms part of De’Max’s broader approach to combining motivational storytelling with African rhythmic influences.
Baltimore artist RAS187 has released the new single “Poquito a Poco,” the lead track from his bilingual project “Dos Mundos.”
The Spanish-language song follows a romantic encounter between two strangers who meet during a night out. The story moves from a glance across the room to an invitation to dance, focusing on the early stages of attraction without looking beyond the moment.
“Poquito a Poco” is paired with “Little by Little,” its English-language counterpart. The two songs present the same encounter in Spanish and English as part of the “Dos Mundos” project.
The release marks a move from RAS187’s usual hip-hop sound into Afro-Latin and Afropop. The Baltimore-born rapper and songwriter has previously released music spanning East Coast rap, relationship-focused songs and instrumental work.
MENTAVIBE has released the new single “MIMI,” an Afro-Pop and Dance-Pop track about self-acceptance and living in the present.
The song features Swahili vocals alongside organic percussion, electronic production and a bass-driven rhythm. Its lyrics focus on embracing one’s identity without comparison, with the refrain “Sio hofu! Ni furaha!” translating to “No fear! It’s joy!”
“MIMI” was written and produced by Juergen Joe Bauer, who created MENTAVIBE as an independent music project.
Jamaican-born artist Merchant has released the new single “Spotlight” through Helix Records.
The melodic track explores the feeling of being fully present in a significant moment while questioning what the experience means beneath the surface.
Over the past year, Merchant has received support from Black Coffee, Pete Tong and BLOND:ISH. His remix of “Miracle” was also debuted by Sparrow & Barbossa at Coachella in 2025.
SZA has defended Tyla after the South African singer was body-shamed over her appearance at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
SZA commented on an Instagram post discussing the criticism, writing, “This can’t be real. She’s absurdly beautiful. Stop this shit once and for all!”
Ghanaian artist Moliy had also spoken about the criticism, questioning the expectations placed on women’s appearances.
“So yall bully women to look perfect, shame them when they enhance they’re bodies, and the cycle continues, they grow older they’re still criticized for aging, at what point is a woman supposed to feel confident in their skin,” she wrote.
Moliy also described body-shaming as inconsistent with the belief that people are made in God’s image, writing, “It’s not of God to shame those who are made in Gods image.”
Tyla attended the 2026 VMAs in a snakeskin bra, matching pencil skirt, choker and heels. She also served as a presenter at the ceremony.
Davido and producer Shizzy have exchanged words on social media over the production of Davido’s 2011 song “Dami Duro.”
Davido and Shizzy trade words over the production credits on “Dami Duro”
The exchange began after producer Sexy Steel claimed that the beat Davido made for “Dami Duro” was originally his. He said he had never spoken publicly about it but pointed to Davido’s previous comments about the song, including a recent appearance on Carter Efe’s stream.
Davido responded by saying he began making the beat in August 2011 for Sexy Steel before Shizzy became involved.
“Facts … 2011 August I actually started making the beat for Dami duro for sexy steel then Shizzi came over it was history …” Davido wrote.
Shizzy then responded to Davido’s post with, “Distorted stories…🧢”
Davido followed up by quoting Shizzy’s response and writing, “I know right! @shizzi We Co produced a Classic.”
He also retweeted a 2011 post from Shizzy in which a user asked whether he produced “Dami Duro.” Shizzy had replied at the time, “Yes with davido!”
Shizzy has since returned to the matter, writing, “Same Dami Duro wey I dey look all the files like this… ? 💻 Someone is not telling the full story…😂”
“Dami Duro” was released in 2011 as part of Davido’s debut album, “Omo Baba Olowo.”
New York-based Afro-R&B artist Akili has released the new single “Desaparecida,” taken from his upcoming sophomore album, “Tobago Nights.”
The song originated during a collaborative writing session Akili had with his university friend and colleague Eric Turner. Inspired by Turner’s line “Time was our enemy,” Akili originally wrote the song as a funk-pop R&B track titled “My Baby’s Gone” and performed that version for several years.
Akili later reworked the song while developing “Tobago Nights,” shifting its focus from a fading romantic relationship to the loss of creative inspiration. “Desaparecida” explores the experience of becoming attached to a creative spark and then struggling to recover it after it disappears.
The song is part of the narrative of “Tobago Nights,” which Akili has described through themes of loss, longing and artistic identity.
Rising artist Ryno has released the new single “NOT IN 4 LOVE,” featuring Swanky Dee.
The track was released on August 28, 2026, and runs for just over two minutes. It follows Ryno’s other 2026 releases, including “Mahalageasca” and “La Vida Loca” featuring Oberz.
