When Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burnaboy, lyrically said ‘when the gbedu dey enter’ in his single ‘Gbona’, he might have been prophetically referring to the burgeoning sound that currently captivates the youth of Nigeria and Ghana: Naija Drill and Asakaa (Ghanaian Drill) music.
Much like Street Pop, Drill delves deep, painting a vivid picture of life’s struggles for those living on the streets. Nigeria’s Drill scene is spearheaded by a force of talented artists, including the most-streamed Odumodublvck, Jeriq, psychoYP, Reeplay, and Alpha Ojini. Meanwhile, Ghana boasts Black Sherif, O’Kenneth, Jay Bahd, Kwaku DMC, and Reggie at the forefront of their booming Asakaa movement.
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The most listened-to tracks from Ghanaian Asakaa and Nigerian Drill artists in the last 12 months include ‘Blood on the Dance Floor’ by Bloody Civilian, ‘Odumodublvck’ by Wale Black Sherif, and ‘Wotowoto Seasoning’ featuring Black Sherif. Other notable tracks are ‘Declan Rice’ by Odumodublvck, ‘DOG EAT DOG II’ featuring Cruel Santino and Bella Shmurda, ‘Kwaku The Traveller KUBOLOR’ featuring Amaarae, ‘Picanto’ featuring Zlatan and ECko Miles, ‘Second Sermon – Remix’, ‘Oil in my Head’, and ‘Konongo Zongo’.
Asakaa’s heart beats loudest in Ghana’s cultural hubs of Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Koforidua, and Cape Coast, while Naija Drill dominates the airwaves in Nigeria’s bustling cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Abuja, and Enugu.
Men dominate listeners of Asakaa (89%) and Naija Drill (95%). Gen Z (aged 18-24) is the leading age group across both sounds (Asakaa and Naija Drill), making up 52% of Asakaa and 42% of Naija Drill listeners.
Asakaa playlists have over 2 million streams, while Naija Drill playlists are nearing the half-million mark with over 400k streams. Over 38 million user-created playlists feature Naija Drill and Asakaa tracks.
The pulsating beats of Naija Drill and Asakaa are captivating audiences worldwide, with the top streams excluding Nigeria and Ghana coming from the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, Canada, and Italy.”
