By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku

Welcome again, dear listener! We embark once again on our journey around Africa and her diaspora, discovering beautiful music and unearthing hidden gems to adorn our daily listens. This was another slow week in music town as we approach a bustling mid-year release window in the next few weeks. However, this means the playlist takes on a different mood this time around, feeling a bit softer and more downtempo. This selection would be more at home on late-night drives than a bustling gathering with friends.

Before we dive in, this is a quick reminder that the second edition of the monthly editorial playlist is currently available. This features the crème de la crème from Afrocritik Weeks 5-8. The information can be found on our DSP pages and our socials @Afrocritik, so follow us to stay informed. Also, don’t pass up on the opportunity to get your own music featured on the playlists. Send an email to yinoluu@afrocritik.com for further details on how to get your work considered.

With all the housekeeping done, let’s trudge right along! The tenth edition of the Afrocritik Weekly Music Spotlight is one for the more chill tastes and features:

• A Few Big Names: Wande Coal dropped his album which I didn’t particularly like. However, “Jabo” and “Ebelebe” stand out. Joeboy’s better Body & Soul is represented by “Contour,” “Normally,” and eponymous “Body & Soul,” Ice Prince’s EP from a while back caught my attention with “Jah Bless Me,” “Holding On,” and “Disco” …

• Downtempo Afrobeats: Lay back and slow it down with the lower tempo, R&B inspired cuts on this week’s playlist such as Eugy’s “Thinking Bout You” and “Medicine” off his new Sweetboy Savage EP, Victor Collins exemplary “Ga Nihu,” Aema’s vocally expressive “Aema,” “Broken Valentines,” “Let’s Make Love” and “Hold On For Me” represent Late Checkout’s self-named EP…

• Afrocritik’s Weekly Dose of Amapiano: This week’s Amapiano vibes also keep nicely in line with the theme of the week with songs like Starsamm’s “Love In Lagos,” Lady Amar’s “Hamba Juba,” S Gee’s teasing “No Play,” “Kondwa” off Yo Maps’s diverse Try Again album, …

• A Roller-Coaster Ending: We round out the playlist with a run of diverse songs such as Josey’s moving “Je Te Kala Pas,” powerful Francophone rap of Suspect 95’s Societe Suspecte album in the forms of “Detoumounan,” “Soumanleh,” and “Kpaflotage,” an aggressive comical rap song called “Dis Wan” by Priesst & RODN33Y, and then a run of smooth outro Afro-House gems like “Ekhaya,” “Ama Wishi Wishi,” and “Snqanda Mathe” off of Mas Musiq’s gargantuan NINI na NINI album …

All these highlights and more are waiting for you to peruse on the playlists you should see to the right of this page. If you have trouble with the playlists, feel free to find our profiles @Afrocritik on your music streaming service of choice and the playlists should show up there. I recommend you check out the albums named to find your own gems, too. Feel free to listen in the curated order or shuffle the playlist if you’re feeling adventurous. Either way, be sure to give the songs time to work their magic on you.

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Don’t forget to add and follow the playlists, save your favourite songs as updates will be frequent, share the playlists with the people you care about, and get the information necessary to submit your own songs (or those of your people) by reaching out to yinoluu@afrocritik.com.

ENJOY!