Talking about music globally, Africa has talented musicians who have made quality jams that have gained them recognition worldwide.
These streamed artists are from Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Congo, Tanzania, and other African continents.
We have carefully listed the best 17 musicians in Africa 2021, constructed their details and net worth according to their ranking.
If you want to find out the best musicians in Africa, including singers or rappers, drummers, etc., you have to read through this post to see the names on the list.
1. Nasty C (South Africa rapper)
Current net worth – 3.1 million dollars
Nasty C, whose full name is Ntsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, is a famous songwriter, record producer, and singer from Diepmeadow Zone of Soweto Township, Gauteng, South Africa, born in 1997.
He started attracting the country’s music industry at the age of 15 after releasing his first mixtape titled “One Kid a Thousand Coffins.”
Yet again, he gained accolade for the Best Freshman trophy at the South African Hip Hop Award, making him the most-streamed artiste in South Africa.
In addition to all these, he has won several awards, which include:
- Headies Award for African Artiste of the Year in 2018
- The Best Hip Hop Award in 2019 during the South African Music Award festival
- South African Music Award for Best Produced Album
The 16th yearly Metro FM Awards attracted him to 4 different honors comprising the Best Hip Hop, Best Male, Best Song of The Year, and Best Hit Single.
He started his career in music when he was growing up as a little boy of 9 by horning mic skills in Durban’s coastal city.
He got inspiration from famous artists like Tellaman, Casper Nyovest (from South Africa), and other New York and Nigeria superstars with whom he collaborated.
Nasty C, who later moved from his country home to New York, now makes a global impact in music in the African continent.
Currently, Nasty C has recognition as the top-streamed artiste on Spotify South Africa, featuring on prominent playlists such as “No Wahala” and “Most Necessary.”
Discography of Nasty C:
- Music videos – 23
- Studio albums – 3 with three extended plays.
- Mixtapes – 3
- Singles – 16
2. Sarkodie (Ghana)
Owusu Michael Addo, best known as Sarkodie, is a Ghanaian rap icon and one of the top-rated African musicians globally recognized for his music skills.
He’s a musician who has made outstanding contributions in the music industry of Ghana, which, in turn, has gained him several honors. He’s also an entrepreneur and songwriter.
Sarkodie was born in Tema, Ghana, in 1985 (36 years old) and got married to Tracy Owusu Addo in 2018.
He has been practicing music rap for many years and has been awarded 107 awards from 191 nominations; 25 are Ghana music awards.
Below are some of the widespread accolades he has received through rapping:
- Best International Act: Africa in 2012 at BET Award festival
- Best West African Act – 2013
- MTV Africa Award for Best Hip Hop – 2014
- Rap of Hip-Hop 2014 – Illuminati during Independent Music Award for Best Songs
- The Headies Award of the African Artiste of the Year – 2016
- BET Hip Hop Award for Best International Flow – 2019
- Nigeria Entertainment Award for African Male Artist of the Year – 2018
- Artiste of the Decade in 2019 at Vodafone Ghana Music Award festival
- Ghana DJ Awards for the DJ’s Song of The Year – 2020 to mention but just a few.
Notably, Sarkodie emerged as the first African artist to win the Best International Flow Award at the BET Hip Hop Award in 2019.
According to research, the catalog of Sarkodie’s musical recordings so far totals 64; and the discography is listed below:
- Five studio albums
- 31 single albums
- 27 music videos
- One live album
Sarkodie, whose net worth is 15 million dollars, is rated the most affluent musician in Ghana.
3. Wizkid (Nigeria)
Net worth – 30 million dollars
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, commonly known as Wizkid, Starboy, Wizzy, or Big Wiz, is a famous Nigerian musician who discovered his singing career at 11 years old.
Although he has three other best names, he’s best known by his millions of fans as “Wizkid.” He looked up to Fela, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley as his role models. He is a singer and entertainer, stage performer, and entertainer known across the African continents and within the Afrobeat community.
Born in 1990 in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, this famous musician has been participating since he has attracted the Nigerian music industry.
Wizzy did his first music record, “Lil Prinz,” in partnership with Glorious Five singing group, comprising Wizkid and his church friends in the year 2001.
As he continues to form valuable connections in the music industry, he started working on his debut studio album “Superstar” in 2009 as a teen, successfully releasing grave applause.
The album’s lead single “Holla at Your Boy” followed suit on January 2nd, 2010, after releasing “Superstar,” which took him far and wide to England, the United States, and London.
Other albums Wizkid released after “Holla at Your Boy” are:
- Ayo – 2014 various tracks (Wizkid ft Tyga, an American rapper and other prominent hip-hop artists)
- Ojuelegba – Single
- African Bad Gyal – hit single (Wizkid ft Chris Brown)
- Sounds from the Other Side – 2017 (Wizkid ft Drake and Chris Brown)
The release of music albums in collaborations with top artists continued till 2018 when he launched “Soco” (Wizkid ft Ceeza Mill, Spotless, and Terry) in 2018 released with critical acclaim. His achievement in the music industry boils down to the present time.
Below is the record of Wizkid’s show award and nominations
Wins – 85
Nominations – 223
Discography of Wizkid
Studio albums – 4
Music videos – 33
Extended-play records, EPs – 1
Promotional singles – 44
Currently, Wizkid has attained international stardom after his partnership with renowned figures in the music industry, Drake, for instance, hence branching out into the mainstream music scene.
As a famous musician loved across Africa and globally, Wizkid emerged as the first-ever Nigerian citizen to accrue 1 million followers on Twitter.
4. Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Net worth in 2021 – 7.3 Billion
Ogulu Damini Ebunoluwa, popularly known as “Burna Boy,” his stage name, is Nigeria’s rap icon, singer, dancer, and songwriter. He’s among the top African music artists who have earned accolades.
After releasing his single lead album “Like to Party” in 2021, Burna Boy became a celebrity, then his debut studio album “L.I.F.E” in 2013.
Burna Boy signed with international music groups viz; Warner Music Group and Bad Habit/Atlantic Records to increase prominence. He released his 3rd studio album, “Outside,” scored the foremost-label debut.
At the 2019 BET Awards, Burna Boy won the Best International Act and emerged as the Apple Next Up artist.
His most recent accolade was the “Grammy Award” in 2020, which marks the first time a Nigerian won the Grammy Award.
5. Amr Diab (Egypt)
Net worth – $40 million+ – Most recent update for 2021
Frankly, the list of the top-rated musicians in African won’t be complete without adding this Ghanaian singer, Amr Abdel Baset Abdel Aziz Diab, best known as Amr Diab.
This Egyptian singer and music composer developed the first album, “Ya Taree,” in 1983, which most Egyptians loved to date. He blends his music style in western and Egyptian rhythms.
Amr Diab has released a total of 36 studio albums which some of them include “Ghanny Men Albak” (1984), “Hala Hala” (1986), “Khalseen” (1987), “Mayyal” (1988), “Weylomony” (1994) “Rag’een” (1995), to mention but just a few.
This Egyptian pop and folk dance singer popularly addressed as “Egyptian pop king” and the “Father of Mediterranean Music” recently released a new album, ‘Ya Baledna Ya Helwa’ in 2020, which celebrates the beauty of Egypt and African at large.
Diab has attracted various music awards as he continues to expand his career in music. Among his awards is the World Music Awards which he merited two times as the best-selling Middle Eastern singer.
6. Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Net worth – $7 million: according to the latest update in 2021
Diamond Platinumz signed the first music contract in 1965 with Band Records, and then after a year, he professionally released “The Feet of Neil,” his debut album.
Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack, who is popularly called Diamond Platnumz by his fans across the globe, is likable for his skills in Bongo Flava, singing, dancing, recording, and stage art.
His popularity as a songwriter increased via his song “I’m a Believer,” recorded in 1966 by Monkees and made famous.
Thanks to most of his award-winning hits, which have brought Tanzania on the map of music ranking in Africa.
Platnumz, a lover of piano, guitar, and drums, introduced a song to the global audience in 2009, which attracted a break in the Tanzanian music industry.
It follows sequentially with some of his record-breaking albums and discography, which have taken him so far in the music world.
7. Gracie (Ghana)
Gracie’s current net worth – $300,000
Jackeline Acheampong is popular in music with her stage name “Gracie.” She is a Ghanaian afrobeat singer who has gained lots of attention and success, just like other famous African musicians.
Today, she’s become a Ghanaian afro-fusion artiste and an affluent musician in Africa. Gracie was birthed into the family of musicians and boldly rekindled the legacy of African musicianship.
Her best afrobeat album “Forever” has become the talk of the town and at a high rate as it blazes the Billboard thriller chat emerging the Apple Top 100 both in Ghana, Nigeria, and Africa at large.
Gracie, who is currently a student of Kwame University of Science and Technology, has continued making a successful history in music, upgrading her discography as a top African musician.
Recently, she unveiled her eagerly foresee blissful, mid-tempo single album ‘Need Me,’ produced by Sosa.
Some of her top tracks include:
Forever (Remix)
Nana Nyame
The Journey (Outro)
Vacation
Never Like This
Seed – EP” 2021
8. Omah Lay (Nigeria)
Net worth in 2021 – $600,000
Omah Lay is famously known as one of the fast-growing African musicians and songwriters in Africa. Omaha’s real name is Omah Stanley Didia from Ikwerre, Rivers State, and he was born on May 19th, 1997.
He released his streaming initial single debut on February 14th, 2020, which amassed many followers across the popular music platforms and stood out in the frontline of the top charts.
He began to pursue his career in music using the stage name “Lil King” under s fast-growing rap group. Today, his popularity has gone beyond Nigeria, emerging as one of the famous musicians talked about in Africa.
In actuality, Omah became a famous African musician and limelight after releasing his outstanding hit album ‘You’ circulated rapidly and widely on the internet. His other popular hits are: “What Have We Done,” Get Laid, Bad Influence, Godly, and Damn (Cricket Remix).
9. Innoss’B (Congolese singer-songwriter)
Approximate net worth – $1.5 Million
Innocent Blume, always known by the stage name Innoss’B is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and dancer from Goma, Congo DRC.
He created his style of music, which is djembe but also adapted to the most current types of music such as hip-hop and afro beats.
InnoDB continued the legacy in music art as the son of musician parents, which has led him to become one of the out-shining musicians in Africa.
His famousness started in 2010 after a collaborative win at the inaugural season of the Vodacom Superstars talent challenge. He stood a chance to record an “Up and Away” single with Akon (R&B legend).
Nearly a decade later, he worked in partnership with other Congolese superstars like Koffi Olomideand Werrason to release superb hit singles “Mon Boulot” and “Yo Pe” -2019.
Some of the hot tracks that have gone viral and attracted people’s interest to him are: Cha Cha and Turn – 2016 and Achour – 2020.
10. Olamide (Nigerian hip-hop artist)
Net worth – $10.5 million
Date of birth: March 15th, 1989, in Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria
Olamide Adedeji Gbenga, popularly known as Baddo, Baddo Sneh, or Olamide Baddo, is among the famous African musicians that make up this ever-changing list.
Baddo started his career in 2010 as a small-time musician when he debuts the first single, “Eni Duro,” also participated at the Hip-Hop World Awards ceremony the same year. After this came his first studio album, “Rapsodi,” in 2011 played across all Nigerian radio stations.
He became a famous musician and prolific rapper by winning several awards and scoring numerous radio hits trending today across social media platforms.
Baddo has risen to popularity with several music albums, including 35 singles, nine studio songs, and two collaborative albums.
11. Akhlou Brick (Senegalese rapper)
Net worth: $14,000
Aklou Brick is a popular hip-hop genre and rap artist from Senegal presently rising to popularity. He began his journey of building a successful career in music recording as a child.
He followed a step-by-step strategy, learning from legendary musicians from different countries and collaborating with some Senegalese music celebrities.
This young Senegalese rapper, who has been playing for some years in the music industry, became famous by forming a band, Akhlou Bricks Paradise, in 2007 comprising a rap group.
His major record labels are HOSIDE STUDIO and Musée Record & Hoside, and some of his popular songs include:
- Damala Love · 2019
- I Am Sorry · 2016
- Negu Gorr · 2021
- Maya Pot. 2021
12. Remy Adan (Ivorian Artist Singer)
Net Worth: Not Estimated
Remy Adan, who is top-notching today as one of the famous musicians in Africa, is a talented artist, singer, performer, songwriter, and actor from Ivory Coast.
He began this journey many years ago by signing under the music label KOLBER PROD. He gained a lot of support from this music company and other fields that contributed significantly to his wide recognition.
After some years of signing under KOLBER PROD, he has landed several hits, most notably, Le goût de in 2021, which illustrates the present-day society (from grass to great) brought him prominence.
This album has resulted in widespread speculation about the “Bimm Challenge” done by many social network users.
His two other hot tracks include:
- Mon Mousso · 2019
- Juste Pour Toi. 2019 (Genre: R&B/Soul)
13. DJ Mophorisa (South African DJ and vocalist.)
Net Worth 2021: $1.8 Million
Themba Sonnyboy Sekowe, popularly known as DJ Mophorisa (his stage name), is a vocalist, record producer, and DJ from South Africa born on November 15th, 1987.
He is among the African musicians that have to build a fantastic career by producing various commercial successful hot tracks.
Why is Mophorisa a famous musician in Africa?
Mophorisa became a very famous and talented record producer and DJ by producing various hit singles for artists interested in multiple genres.
These artists include Shekinah (“Suited”), Kwesta (“Ngud'”), DJ Zinhle (“My Name Is”), Professor (“Jezebel”), Uhuru (“Y-Tjukuta”), and Busiswa (“Lala”).
14. Focalist (South African musical artist)
2021 net worth – $450,000
Lethabo Sebetso is a stardom singer and rapper from South Africa, professionally known as Focalistic by his fans. The kind of love he developed for football brought him the name “Pitori Maradona.”
Currently, Focalistic has become a fast-growing rapper in South Africa and one of the music superstars in the continent at large. His record labels include Season and Major League Records.
Some of his albums are:
• Bae Bar
• Christian Dior
• Dankie Milo
• Eketle Pele
• Full Sette
• Ibiza Ko Gomora
• Ke Star
• Never Know
• Pitori To Paris
• Shoota Moghel
• Shame on You
His latest hits are “Blecke · 2020” and “GUPTA – 2021,” which brought him prominence.
15. Mbosso (Tanzanian Singer)
Net Worth 2021 – $19.6
Mbosso is the famous Tanzanian musician Mbwana Yusuf Kilungi who started making his career in music by signing under the WCB, Wasafi record label.
His rise to fame is surprising but is never an overstatement. If you have listened to “Nadekezwa” and “Hodari,” perhaps you will understand why his name appears in the list of 20 musicians in Africa.
These albums won Video of the Year at HiPipo Awards 2019. After two years of this award-winning challenge, Mbosso launched his most famous song, “Definition of Love,” in March 2021 as his debut studio album.
16. C4 Pedro (Angolan musician)
Net worth – $15.1Kin 2021
It’s indeed incredible that most millennials in Africa do not recognize C4 Pedro as stardom. Pedro Henriques Lisboa Santos, professionally known as C4 Pedro, is Angola’s ‘king of Kizomba’ and a famous African musician.
He has worked up his music career collaborating with contemporary stars in the field. In the present time, he is one of the music icons in the continent.
As one of the scene’s stars in Angola dance music, Pedro has released various sensual commercial rhythms selling all over the music platforms.
The native Angola fusion of smooth R&B and sultry kizomba dance music, marked as C4 Pedro’s debut in 2008, brought him to the top of the music charts. Another breakout hit, Calor & Frio, followed in 2011, making his name appear on this list today.
Among his albums are:
The Gentleman IV (2019)
King Ckwa (2015)
Calor & Frio [Hot and Cold] (2011)
Lagrimas (2008)
Singles (Without albums)
Céu (Pikante Vol.6) (2016)
Estragar feat AGIR (2016)
Tá pegar fogo (2016)
Brothers Lisboa Santos – Não Da Pra Negar (2014) as well as collaborative songs with other artists
17. Macky 2
Net worth is $1.5 Million.
Mulaza Kaira, popular with his stage name Macky 2, Macky II, MK Macky 2, is an award-winning African musician native of Zambia. He is among the oldest contemporary African hip-hop singer, born on October 10th, 1884.
At present, this multi-talented African rapper and singer has become famous on Forbes, IMDb, and various online music resources for his outstanding performances.
Some of the hot tracks he released that brought him fame include, but are not limited to: “Nangu Banchinge” – 2012, “Mukulu” – 2012, “Feeling Feeling” – 2012, “Without You” – 2012, “Too Much Influence” – 2012, “Ghetto President” – 2019, and “Mrs. Me” – 2020.
The best African musician in 2020 is who?
It is among the most recently asked questions about trending African musicians. But the lists above have the answer.
Who is the richest musician in Africa from 2020 to 2021?
Currently, in 2021, the Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour breaks the record as the most prosperous African. His net worth is presently 145 million U.S. dollars.
Who is the Top 20 musician in Nigeria?
Here are the lists of 20 Nigerian musicians according to their net worths in descending order.
• 1. Wizkid ($30 Million)
• 2. Davido ($25 Million)
• 3. Don Jazzy ($18.5 Million)
• 4. Burna Boy ($17 Million)
• 5.2Baba/2Face ($16 Million)
• 6.Olamide ($12 Million)
• 7. Phyno ($11 Million)
• 8.Timaya ($10.5 Million)
• 9.Peter (Mr. P) and Paul Okoye (Rude Boy) ($10 Million)
• 10.Banky W ($8.5 Million)
• 11.Flavour ($9.5 Million)
• 12.Tiwa Savage ($9 Million)
• 13.Tekno ($8 Million)
• 14. Jidenna ($7 Million)
• 15. Yemi Alade ($6 Million)
• 16. Kcee ($5 Million)
• 17. Mayorkun ($5 Million)
• 18. Falz ($4 Million)
• 19. Dbanj ($2 Million)
• 20. M.I Abaga ($2 Million)
Bottom Line
It shows that despite how easily accessible information is on the internet today, African Millenials still lack knowledge of the music stardoms in the continent. We have taken our time to complete this list for Africans, especially the Millenials.
However, the post has made it easy for the readers to explore the top 20 African musicians as the current records have it. African countries such as Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Congo, Egypt, Guinea, and Ivory Coast made a list.
