7 Nigerian-American Collaborations You Didn't Know About

Are you ready for some new music?

Well then, buckle your seat belt because today I'm going to play you 7 songs that you either may not have heard about, or didn't know where collaborations between Nigerian and American artistes.

It is no secret that Afrobeats and African artistes are in more demand than ever before today. So of course with that kind of demand comes a meshing of cultures, a collaboration between continents. And while some of these collaborations go on to become #1 Worldwide hits (I see you One Dance - Drake ft. Wizkid), others do not go on to cause as much noise, but are still jams in their own right.

Without further ado, let's jump into our list of the day.

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Now to the list.

1. Kat Deluna and Yemi Alade

American singer, songwriter, and dancer Kat Deluna most popularly known for her hit singles "Whine Up", and "Run The Show" released her third studio album titled Loading in 2016.

Prior to this release, Yemi Alade had posted a video of both girls having lunch, our first hint at the collaboration that would be happening in the future.

Following the lunch, when Kat Deluna's album was finally released in 2016, there the collaboration was on Track 6 of the Japan Deluxe Version of the album.

But the surprise wasn't over it seems because when Yemi Alade dropped her own album Black Magic the next year, 2017, on the Deluxe Version of her album, Track 17 was a song titled "Right Now" featuring none other than Kat Deluna herself.

We love to see reciprocity. And both songs are really good in their own right. Maybe we can expect more from these two in the future.

2. Ciara, Tekno, and Tiwa Savage.

Following the Worldwide success of her hit single, Level Up in 2018, Ciara whose love for Africa and African influences have never been a secret teamed up with Nigerian hitmaker Tekno on a song titled "Freak Me".

Of course when Nigerians saw the featured artiste, we already got excited because we love to see one of our own be put on the international spotlight, but when the song itself dropped, listeners couldn't help but notice a familiarity in the chorus. The chorus of the song Freak Me is the same chorus written and sung by Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, in her 2015 song "Before Nko".

As expected, people were quick to call Ciara out on the similarity in the choruses but Tiwa Savage herself was quick to chime in and clear any doubts about a contention or malice. Ciara sampled the song and is paying the due compensation and royalties to Tiwa that is lawful. Tiwa speaking about the collaboration said:

I love the fact that she picked that song. It wasn’t one of the most popular songs from the ‘RED’ album. But it was definitely one of my favourites. I love her version; and Tekno. I’m a huge fan of his. He definitely killed it. I think it’s gonna do really well.

3. Beyonce and Niniola

This is one you didn't expect!

Not all collaborations are vocal. Some collaborations between artistes happen behind the scenes, and we may never even get to know about them unless we're told. This is exactly what happened in the case of Beyonce and Niniola.

Niniola shocked the world when she revealed on Instagram her contribution to Beyonce's The Gift project.

She took to Instagram to share an image of her credits as well as to write a little about the collaboration. She said:

MARADONA!!!” The Song that keeps giving! When the advance royalty cheque comes in from featuring on @Beyonce’s Album, “THE GIFT”, and you can’t but give thanks to God. Being a contributor to the “Find Your Way Home” Song off Queen B’s Album was a dream come true for me and I cannot wait to share with you, greater news and opportunities that this has opened me up to, internationally.

As always, a big thank you to all of you for continuing to support the Niniola brand. Special thanks to my Label, @@drumrollrecords, my Management Company @Naijareview my Publishers @kobaltmusic my lawyers @rbmmnigeria and everyone that continues to work behind the scene to ensure I achieve my God-given potential. I love you all.

Do you hear the Maradona references in Find Your Way Back? Here is Maradona for all who haven't heard the masterpiece yet.

4. Mabel, Burna Boy, and Kojo Funds.

British singer Mabel is enjoying a wonderful time in her career right now. She's had hit song after hit song including Don't Call Me Up, God Is A Dancer, Mad Love, and her 2017 hit Finders Keepers.

What many might not know is that during the peak of that song, Mabel released an official remix to her Youtube page which features a new verse and contributions by none other than African Giant himself, Burna Boy.

His verse and the tone of his voice really elevate the music to a new height, making an already great song even better.

It's a collaboration which if you haven't heard, you should definitely listen to.

5. Saweetie, French Montana, Wale, and Tiwa Savage.

You know My Type, it was one of the biggest songs last year and deservedly so. That chorus gets stuck in your head.

But what many might not know is that following the song's success, Saweetie invited three artistes to jump on an official remix which she posted to her official Youtube page. These artistes were French Montana, Nigerian boy Wale, and Nigeria's own Tiwa Savage.

Their contributions, especially in my opinion Wale's verse, to the song really makes it slap that much harder. It's an already good song but the addition of Wale and Tiwa especially really turned it up a notch.

It's definitely one worth checking out if you haven't heard it already.

6. Swae Lee, Drake, and Tekno

Where some other songs on this list might not be all that popular, Swae Lee and Drake's Wont Be Late already has over 12 million views on the lyric video alone.

But what maybe might not know is that behind the scenes, this gem of a song was produced by none other than Nigeria's own Tekno. (The boy is really making us proud!)

Listening to the Afrobeat sound and vibe of the song, it is honestly no surprise that this is a Tekno production.

If you haven't heard it before, maybe this new piece of information will get you clicking.

7. Normani and Wizkid

American singer Normani Kordei who was once a member of the very successful girl band Fifth Harmony released a two-song project in late 2018.

Both songs were in collaboration with British DJ Calvin Harris, but the first song in the project titled Checklist features none other than Nigeria's own Wizkid.

It is a song that's fire. So fire that many people who have lended covers and remixes to it. One of my favorite remixes, actually it's a mashup, of the song is by HNM Magazine.

The song is most definitely a masterpiece and if you haven't checked it out, I urge you to. It's really good.

ALRIGHT!

That brings us to the end of our list! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this article.

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