Stubborn: How Afrobeats' Class of 2010 Have Refused to Be Replaced
The hunger and ambition this class still displays 15 years deep, despite all their accomplishments, is unreal. They are not going anywhere. If you think otherwise, you are simply mistaken.
The word “stubborn” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “difficult to get rid of or deal with". It is also defined as “difficult to move or remove". So when Wizkid deploys the word on Olamide’s “Billionaires Club” off the latter’s 2025 album, Olamide, singing “We don tey for the game, we stubborn", it becomes an apt description of the 2010 generation of Afrobeats superstars who have maintained an unshakeable residency at the very top of Nigerian mainstream music.
The class of Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, and Burna Boy have operated from the summit of the Nigerian music industry since the start of the 2010s. Led by Wizkid, whose breakout single 'Holla At Your Boy' heralded the entrance of a new generation, this class continues to maintain their position despite facing different challengers across multiple eras of Nigerian music. The 2016 class of Kizz Daniel, Tekno and Runtown challenged them on the home front when they stepped away from the scene in pursuit of global superstardom.
The 2019 vanguard of Afropop stars (Rema, Joeboy, Fireboy, Omah Lay, Tems and Oxlade) injected energy and vibrancy into Afrobeats with their distinct sound, which appealed to the international audience with their explosive incursion into the music scene coming just as the 'Afrobeats to the world' movement was hitting full throttle.
Regardless of the strength of the competition, the old guard have always found a way to fight back and maintain their long-standing dominance, evidenced by incredible feats such as Wizkid setting a new record for the highest opening week streams for an African album on Spotify with his most recent album, Morayo, in 2024, or Burna Boy shattering the record for the highest-grossing tour by an African, clocking in an incredible $30.5 million in earnings across 22 electrifying shows as reported by Touring Data.
In 2025, Olamide made history as the first African rapper to sell out the 12,500-capacity OVO Wembley Arena, while Davido delivered the biggest African song of 2025 with the ubiquitous With You, which featured Omah Lay. The song went on to earn him a highly coveted Grammy nomination. Yemi Alade also recently celebrated a Grammy nomination, earning a nod for Best African Music Performance for her single, Tomorrow. Tiwa Savage's globally celebrated performance at the illustrious King Charles III’s Coronation Concert offered a reminder as to why she remains the Queen of Afrobeats, with her mesmerising performance holding one of the most-watched audiences in the world spellbound. That visibility was not a peak, as by 2025, she had achieved yet another monumental career milestone, officially crossing 800 million streams across all credits on Spotify, becoming only the third woman to achieve this feat, yet another piece of evidence of her sustained local and global success.
The audacity of arrival (2010 – 2013)
The music industry today is significantly different from the music industry at the start of the 2010s. Wande Coal was the name on everyone's lips thanks to his critically and commercially acclaimed debut album, Mushin 2 Mo'hits, an album widely regarded as the blueprint for what we now know as Afropop. M.I. Abaga was also coming off his successful debut album, Talk About It, released a year prior, and Banky W was enjoying massive commercial success thanks to his incredible albums, Mr Capable, in 2008 and The W Experience in 2009. The trio were the big three of that era (2008-2010) and were flanked by other iconic acts like Naeto C, Omawumi and Timi Dakolo. During the height of their run, something was brewing in the underground that indicated the direction Nigerian music was heading.
In 2009, Knighthouse Entertainment, a premier entertainment company at the time, released the single The Finest featuring Saucekid, Teeto Ceemos and Mo'cheddah. The video for the record featured budding underground stars like Kell, N6 and most notably, Wizkid. WizKid had also featured on MI Abaga's debut album a year prior on the single Fast Money, Fast Cars. While he was barely known to the wider audience, he had cultivated a reputation for being a 'studio rat' behind the scenes. In many quarters, he was already heralded by some as the next guy, and his feature on MI Abaga's record, despite being relatively unknown, indicates the faith a lot of people had in him at the time. His association with Knighthouse would eventually lead to him signing with the Banky W-led Empire Mates Entertainment.
In 2010, he released his breakout single, Holla at Your Boy, and quickly became one of the most popular stars in the country. The infectious single, as well as its accompanying video, showcased his youthful charisma, magnetic presence, effortless swagger, and undeniable star power. He was Nigeria's answer to American pop star Justin Bieber, and, unsurprisingly, he became the superstar that represented the new generation of listeners coming to the forefront and craving an artist they could relate to and meet them where they were. By the time his debut album was released a year later in June 2011, Wizkid was already a bona fide superstar and hitmaker with monster singles like Tease Me, Don't Dull and Pakurumo under his belt. He was the king of the new school with the world at his feet.
2010 also saw the introduction of another important figure whose arrival would spark a shift of epic proportions. Tiwa Savage had already established herself as a prolific songwriter, contributing to popular songs like Jaicko and Snoop Dogg's Oh Yeah, Deluna and Akon's Push Push, Monica's Catch Me, amongst others. She had also earned a Grammy nomination for her contributions to Fantasia’s sophomore album, Back To Me, where she co-wrote the single, Collard Greens & Cornbread. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album in 2011. But it was her smash-hit record Kele Kele Love that catapulted her to national prominence. The single released in 2010 was an emphatic announcement of her arrival on the scene and ushered in a new era for female pop stars in the Nigerian music industry. Her bold sexual expression and unapologetic deployment of sexual content in her music rubbed the shoulders of a pretentious conservative populace the wrong way. They responded by throwing sachet water at her while she performed, and even sometimes cancelling her performances. But Tiwa, undeterred, continued to push the envelope, swiftly following her debut single with another hit record, Love Me 3x, solidifying her hitmaking credentials and establishing herself as the it-girl of Nigerian music. The video for Love Me 3x was banned by the National Broadcasting Commission in Nigeria for its 'explicit content', as the video featured her in 'revealing' outfits in bed with a shirtless man. But in the digital era, especially with the growing popularity of YouTube, an NBC ban could only do so much, and the controversies surrounding her only helped to elevate her profile, as in 2012, she became the first African female ambassador for Pepsi, a momentous feat at the time. The same year, she signed to budding music powerhouse Mavins Records, led by the visionary figure Don Jazzy, and released her debut album, Once Upon A Time, a year later in 2013. The 21-track fairy tale delicately balanced her R&B leanings with her Afrobeats roots while showcasing her angelic vocals and sharp songwriting. The album established Tiwa Savage as a force in Nigerian music and set a new standard for female pop music in Nigeria.
The exploits of Wizkid and Tiwa Savage resounded far beyond the shores of Nigeria, reaching a teenage Davido who, from 6,000 miles across the Atlantic, watched as the groundwork for a new era was being laid. The Atlanta-based Davido was a member of the group B-International alongside Shina Rambo and B-Red. He started out as a producer and almost produced on Mode 9's 2010 album, Da Vinci Mode. He returned to Nigeria with Back When, a single recorded in London. The single got a rap verse from Naeto C (who was one of the biggest stars in the country), thanks to Davido's manager, Asa Asika, who previously worked with Storm Records, the label Naeto C was signed to. Whilst Back When brought him early success, it did not move the needle. At least not like his follow-up single, Dami Duro, the smash hit record that propelled Davido to nationwide stardom. The smash hit set the young superstar on the way to his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo: The Genesis, released in July 2012, and like Wizkid before him, Davido unleashed a barrage of hits, including Gbon Gbon, Ekuro, and Feel Alright. The album also flaunted Davido's ability to call on the superstars of the era, with 2baba, Ice Prince, and the aforementioned Naeto C featured on the album, while Wizkid and fellow rave of the moment Burna Boy made appearances on the video of Dami Duro.
Burna Boy was also soaring at full altitude thanks to his hit single, Like to party, released in May 2012. The budding superstar had made his way down from Port Harcourt city to Lagos with hopes of nationwide superstardom after becoming a regional sensation thanks to his mixtapes Burn Identity and Burn Notice. In fact, Burna Boy had featured Davido on the single Trumpet off his 'Burn Identity' mixtape. Burna Boy would go on to release his debut album L.I.F.E. in August 2013, consolidating the momentum he had been building throughout the past year. The album was an instant success, selling 40,000 copies on the day of its release. The album spurred the hit singles Run my race, Tonight, and Yawa Dey and featured notable stars like 2baba, Timaya, Wizkid, Reminisce and the king of the streets, Olamide.
Olamide broke out in 2010 with the enduring hard-hitting rap cut, Eni Duro. The Coded Tunes frontman was quickly heralded as the one to carry on the mantle of indigenous hip-hop following the untimely passing of the iconic Da'Grin. Olamide didn't just carry the mantle; he took it further than anyone before him and elevated it into something bigger. By 2013, he was on his third album, a certified hitmaker and undisputed king of the streets. While Olamide marked the release of his third album in 2013, another parallel rise that would shape the new era took shape.
Yemi Alade had made her name on the national stage by winning the inaugural PEAK talent show in 2009. She had made her musical debut as part of a girl group called Noty Spices in 2005, but it was her exploits on the Peak talent show that drew the nation to her exciting talent. Following the Peak talent show, she released singles like Fimisile, Ghen Ghen Love, Bamboo and Birthday Song and enjoyed pockets of success, even embarking on a nationwide tour. It was during the Enugu stop of her tour that she recorded the song Johnny with Selebobo. The song wasn't recorded with release in mind, but according to Yemi, the song was leaked to the internet by the time she arrived in Lagos.
Almost immediately, the song became a smash hit in Nigeria and beyond, storming into international charts in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. The groundbreaking hit single marked her explosive entrance into mainstream consciousness and started her journey to becoming one of the most prolific pan-African superstars.
One clear pattern emerges when one studies the origin stories of these acts. Their rise wasn’t gradual; it was explosive. Wizkid had spent years honing his craft behind the scenes, but it took just one official single to propel him into national stardom. The same was true for Tiwa Savage, whose debut single immediately positioned her at the forefront. Burna Boy had already built a name in Port Harcourt, but “Like to Party” turned him into a nationwide phenomenon on first impact. And for Davido, it was his second single that transformed him from a newcomer into a star. Yemi Alade’s 2009 Peak Talent Show win offered her early spotlight, but her true breakout would come years later. And when it did, she became a continental star almost immediately. By the end of 2013, it was clear that a new era had dawned on Nigerian mainstream music. The reign of the old guard was over, and a new generation had taken over.
The waves that tried to wash them away
When Olamide and Wizkid first collaborated in 2011, delivering the hit track, Omo To Shan, both acts were fresh-faced, newly minted stars on the ascent. "I just wanna say that I wanna thank God for our lives because we've come so far from that song. I remember the day we recorded that song, just like yesterday," Wizkid remarked in 2021 when the two performed at the Livespot X Festival. When the record hit the airwaves in 2011, not many would have envisioned the sheer impact, dominance, and sway that both acts would hold on Nigerian mainstream music for as long as they have. So when Wizkid and Olamide reunited in 2025, fourteen years after their first collaboration, the record they delivered felt inevitable: a victory lap and celebration from artists who have seen it all and remain firmly at the summit.
When Wizkid says, “We don tey for the game, we stubborn,” it’s not just a braggadocious flex; it’s a statement of fact. His choice of wording is compelling. He doesn’t say we are the hardest working, the most consistent, or the most creative. He says we are stubborn. And stubbornness is not a gift. In many contexts, it’s a criticism, a flaw, a virtue to be shed. But when you consider the dips, the controversies, the moments these artists seemed fallible, and, most importantly, the different waves of talent that have swept through the Nigerian music scene, the fact that this class have still been able to maintain their position transforms stubbornness from a flaw into the only honest explanation for why they are still here.
Throughout the 15-year run of this generation of superstars, there were many points where it seemed like there was going to be a change of guard with new sets of talents emerging with fresh sound, vibrancy and hunger. When the class of 2010 took shape, the era that preceded the was dislodged with remarkable efficiency. So one would be forgiving for imagining that the same pattern would repeat itself when the next wave began to form.
2013 and 2014 marked the arrival of a fresh wave of star onto the Nigerian music scene. At the centre of this new wave were acts like Kizz Daniel, Reekado Banks, Lil Kesh, Tekno and Runtown. Kizz Daniel broke through on the strength of the smash hit Woju and then followed it with a run of records, Laye, Good Time, and Mama. This run cemented his rise ahead of his critically acclaimed debut album, New Era, which in hindsight reads like a timestamp, aligning perfectly with a new wave already taking shape, one he would stand at the forefront of. Reekado Banks announced himself on the scene with the runaway success of the smash hit, Dorobucci. He replicated his standout performance on the record on follow-up records like Adaobi and Looku Looku before cementing himself as a major force with Katapot.
In January 2014, Lil Kesh announced himself to the Nigerian mainstream with the hit record Lyrically. The record gave him his first big break and earned him the attention of Olamide, who offered him a record deal. Under YBNL, Lil Kesh would go on to become one of Nigeria's hottest hitmakers, whose music dominated the streets, churning out hits like Shoki, Gbese, Is it because I love you, Cause Trouble, and Shele Gan Gan before delivering his acclaimed debut album, Young and Getting It.
Tekno and Runtown are two of the most notable names from this class, as both acts were the biggest stars in the country for a window of roughly two years, between 2015 and 2017. Tekno first came to prominence in 2013 when he collaborated with Davido on the popular single, Holiday. But it wasn't until 2015 that he scored his first major hit record with Duro. The success of Duro opened the floodgates as Tekno delivered with a run of records - Wash, Pana, Rara, Diana, Yawa, and Samantha - that felt less like a breakout and more like a takeover. Runtown, like Tekno, got his first big break off a Davido collaboration. He had initially made his name as a producer working with acts like Phyno, Timaya, and J Martins before launching his solo career in 2011. After a string of singles, he finally broke through in 2014 with Gallardo, which featured Davido. It was also widely reported that he wrote Davido's Aye, which increased his popularity. His 2015 debut album spurred hits like Bend Down Pause and Lagos to Kampala, which both featured Wizkid, and The Banger featuring Uhuru.
In 2016, he released the ubiquitous hit track Mad Over You to remarkable success, as the song crossed every border the old guard had been pushing toward. At that point, Wizkid and Davido had stepped away from the Nigerian scene in pursuit of global ambitions, while Yemi Alade turned her focus to capturing the African continent with her 2016 LP Mama Africa. Burna Boy was swimming in controversy, and Tiwa Savage had a quiet year. Olamide held the fort, delivering a number of street anthems, but there was a noticeable vacuum that was quickly occupied by Tekno and Runtown, whose embrace of the Ghanaian Pon Pon sound reshaped the mainstream and placed them at the centre.
But this wave would not hold for long. Davido returned emphatically in 2017, stringing together a relentless run of chart-topping hits - If, Fall, Fia and Like Dat - that reasserted his dominance, while Wizkid, looking to re-establish himself after Sounds From the Other Side fell short of its crossover ambitions, did so with the hit Manya. Their resurgence coincided with Lil Kesh exiting YBNL, Kizz Daniel and Runtown entering fierce legal battles with former labels, and Tekno battling a vocal cord condition. Reekado Banks would leave Mavin Records a year later in 2018, a decision he later described as “premature.”
Bar Kizz Daniel (who maintained his A-list status through a reinvention of image and a steady stream of hits), this wave of stars experienced periods of reduced output and an overall dip in musical quality, ultimately stalling their momentum, pulling them away from the heights they once occupied.
There were other waves of challengers attempting to dislodge the class of 2010. The 2017 set of Mr Eazi, Mayorkun, and Ycee mounted a brief but noticeable push, while the 2018 street-hop surge led by Naira Marley and Zlatan Ibile ignited a movement that commanded the streets. But 2019 marked the beginning of something more seismic than just another wave of challengers. It was the opening act of a four-year surge that would produce the most formidable threat the old guard had ever faced. A new generation that arrived with the full infrastructure of the "Afrobeats to the world" movement was already built beneath their feet.
Rema had been incubating in MAVIN’s intense artist development regimen before being unveiled on Friday, March 22, 2019, by Don Jazzy in a social media post where he revealed his belief that Rema was going to be the future of Afrobeats. It didn't take long before the then 18-year-old would emphatically back up Jazzy's claim, delivering his debut EP, Rema EP. The project was an instant success with all four tracks becoming fan favourites, with Dumebi becoming one of the biggest songs of 2019. Rema didn't stop there. He followed it up with Freestyles EP, which showcased his versatility, and then wrapped up an explosive debut year with Bad Commando EP, which spurred the hit record, Lady.
Joeboy would also emphatically burst onto the scene, first delivering the continental smash Baby before following up with successful singles like Beginning and Don’t Call Me Back featuring Mayorkun. He rounded out the highly successful year with his debut Love & Light EP, which produced yet another successful single, All For You.
In December 2018, Olamide released the YBNL Mafia Family album, which featured members of his label. The 13-track album had several standout performances, but none more memorable than Fireboy DML's performance on Jealous. Unsurprisingly, the record became the biggest song from the album and set Fireboy DML on his way to superstardom. He followed up with successful singles like What If I Say and King before cementing himself as one of the breakout stars of the year with his critically and commercially acclaimed debut effort, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, an album widely regarded as one of the best debut albums in Nigerian music and a modern classic.
2019 also saw Tems, who had already built a cult following with Mr Rebel and Looku Looku, detonate into the mainstream with the hit track Try Me. Oxlade also broke into wider consciousness off a standout performance on Blaqbonez’s Mamiwota, while singles like Shugar and Causing Trouble with DJ Tunez gained strong traction.
The momentum didn't stop. 2020 brought Omah Lay, who emerged during the lockdown with his debut EP, Get Layd, released in May 2020, produced back-to-back hits in You and Bad Influence, the latter becoming one of the defining songs of the pandemic era. He followed with the What Have We Done EP which spawned 'Godly,' cementing him as one of the most exciting new voices in Afrobeats. 2021 saw the arrival of Ayra Starr, who announced herself with her self-titled debut EP in January. The project's lead single, Away, became an instant hit, but it was her debut album 19 & Dangerous, released later that year, that positioned her as a generational talent. Then came 2022, and with it, Asake. His rise was nothing short of meteoric. After spending years refining his sound, he exploded onto the mainstream with Omo Ope featuring Olamide in January 2022. The song became an instant street anthem. When his debut album Mr Money With The Vibe dropped in September 2022, it shattered records, becoming the most-streamed debut album by a Nigerian artist on Spotify in its first week. The album produced hit after hit: Terminator, Peace Be Unto You (PBUY), Organise, and by 2023, Asake had gone from relative unknown to selling out the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena in London, a feat that took most artists years to achieve.
This wasn't just another wave of challengers. This was a generation that had TikTok, streaming, international label infrastructure, and the cultural momentum of Afrobeats' global ascendance working in their favour. The velocity of their rise, combined with their commercial success and critical acclaim, made it seem inevitable that the old guard's reign was finally coming to an end.
The art of staying
But the old guard have fought back successfully. Burna Boy’s blistering three-album run (Outside, African Giant, and Twice As Tall) vaulted him into the highest tier of global stardom. African Giant earned him his first Grammy Award nomination, while Twice As Tall went a step further, winning Best Global Music Album and cementing his place on the world stage. Since then, his ascent has only intensified. He became the first African artist to headline and sell out stadiums like London Stadium and Citi Field. His albums have consistently debuted on the Billboard 200, while his global tours have shattered revenue records for African artists. At this point, the conversation has shifted entirely. When you think of the biggest artists in the world, the likes of Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Burna Boy now sit comfortably at that table.
Yemi Alade doubled down on her pan-African dominance through relentless touring, multilingual releases, and global collaborations, building one of the most enigmatic brands and expansive international footprints of any African artist, capped by major award recognitions and a Grammy nomination. Wizkid also embarked on one of the most defining global runs of the era as his 2020 album Made in Lagos became a cultural landmark, powered by the timeless success of Essence, which earned a Grammy Award nomination, broke into the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the most successful African songs ever. He followed it with a historic, sold-out headline show at Madison Square Garden, becoming one of the first African artists to achieve the feat.
Davido asserted his place as a leader in the scheme of things by doing what he does best, churning out global hits like Unavailable, Sensational, and With You. He has remained a force across continents with sold-out shows at major venues and multiple Grammy nominations.
This generation has not only found ways to not just survive and stay relevant, but to escalate. While plenty of artists from other eras have held on through legacy goodwill, only to become nostalgia acts collecting the flowers of their past glories, the class of 2010 have always found a way to out muscle their challengers and maintain their hold by employing distinct strategies underscored by the stubbornness WizKid articulated on Billionaires Club. The question isn't why they're still here; the question is how.
For Davido, he has done it by consistently delivering undeniable hits that reverberate through the pulse of culture, settling into his role as Afrobeats' most reliable and prolific hitmaker. He has never been one to push sonic boundaries; that has never been his lane. He has simply refused to stop making hits. The philosophy that shaped his debut, which is a sharp focus on crafting records that capture listener attention and enjoy mass patronage, remains intact years later, as proven by his recent albums, Timeless and 5ive. Predicting that Davido will deliver a hit in any given year is like predicting the sun will shine; it is a certainty. He is one of the few artists to have recorded a hit every year since his breakthrough. He is a hit factory in human form.
On paper, his approach might seem easy to replicate because every artist believes they can make hits. Many are also quick to question whether hitmaking is even a function of true talent. But to sustain it year after year, across multiple eras defined by shifting sounds, technology, and audience taste, is spectacular. What makes it even more compelling is that his output extends beyond himself. His presence has helped catalyse hits for artists like Odumodublvck, TxC, Minz, Iyanya, CKay, Peruzzi, Adekunle Gold, and Teni, among others. His commitment to the wider creative ecosystem is equally notable, as seen in his participation in Cruel Santino’s Subaru Boyz Twitch livestream, a moment that helped push live streaming further into pop culture relevance.
That same deliberate investment in the ecosystem is a strategy Olamide has also mastered. Through YBNL, he has developed two of the most important stars of the new generation in Asake and Fireboy DML. He has built a system that consistently produces new talent, ensuring that every new wave that arrives has his imprint embedded on it. Even from a distance, his influence continues to shape trajectories, with his co-sign (the most powerful in Nigerian music) proving pivotal to the rise of artists like Naira Marley, Zlatan Ibile, Portable, TI Blaze, Bad Boy Timz, P.Prime, Bhadboi OML, and Rybeena. These artists have seen their careers accelerate significantly on the back of his cosign.
WizKid's consistent willingness to evolve and reinvent himself so much so that each era of his career feels distinct is the secret to his longevity. While his early releases showcased his penchant for crafting ubiquitous hits that lent themselves to the Afrobeats dancefloor, his newer offerings have employed a more adult and laid-back approach, prioritising melody, mid-tempo flow, and smooth delivery. The shift away from high-energy anthems into smoother and more atmospheric sounds risked alienation, with Sounds from the Other Side proving that even his staunch supporter had a threshold for how far he could drift. But Wizkid, operating by his own rules and finding different ways to succeed in that reality is why the Starboy has remained the standard of excellence in Afrobeats. His consistent evolution doesn't just apply to the sonics that shape his music, but the growth that defines his person as he has evolved from the fresh-faced young star with the world at his feet to a man whose children form the centre of his priorities, ensuring that he remains relatable to the audience that grew up on his music.
Where Wizkid's smooth edges have allowed him to glide between eras without too much friction, Burna Boy's combatant nature has been key to his survival. That Burna Boy arrived here at the absolute summit of global music is the most dramatic individual arc in the class, as for many years, his current position looked not just unlikely but almost impossible despite his incredible talent. He has had multiple moments where it seemed like the controversies and the ego narratives seemed to be building a case for his diminishment, but he has fought back and survived many times. And when you are incredibly gifted like Burna Boy is, all it takes is channelling the emotions that drive that combative nature into the music, and the result is the ‘Midas touch' that produced Outside, African Giant, Twice As Tall, Love Damini, and I Told Them. Five albums across five years that represent the most sustained run of excellence by any Nigerian artist in contemporary times.
Yemi Alade draws from the same well of resilience as Burna Boy, but hers has been expressed differently. After breaking through in 2013, she became the target of persistent, often unfair criticism from the Nigerian audience. Her early albums (while not exactly of the highest quality) failed to resonate locally the way they did across the rest of the continent. As her popularity surged across Africa, the home base remained largely indifferent.
One of the most pointed criticisms centred on her songwriting, frequently dismissed as “nonsensical.” Which is ironic, considering her contemporaries like Wizkid and Davido were rarely subjected to the same scrutiny, even when their writing operated at a similar level. Wizkid, for instance, has never been defined by lyrical depth (his lyricism remains the weakest element of his artistry till this day), yet he has largely avoided that level of critique. With Yemi, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that gender played a role in how harshly she was judged. But that is a conversation for another day.
Rather than expend energy contesting a standard that was never applied fairly, she shifted her focus outward, leaning fully into her pan-African appeal and crafting music rooted in traditional African sounds. She doubled down with Mama Afrique in 2017, a project that reimagined some of her popular songs into different languages, spanning English, French, Swahili, and Portuguese, aimed at deepening her reach across the continent.
The strategy paid off. Her influence across multiple African countries and even parts of Europe expanded significantly, with sold-out venues and packed-out concerts becoming a constant. She has grown into one of the most successful touring acts of her generation, earning recognition in markets many Nigerian artists have struggled to penetrate. While the home base may never fully embrace her as expected, her impact makes it impossible to exclude her from any conversation about the greatest Nigerian artists of all time, not just of her generation.
And then there’s Tiwa Savage, whose early performances were met with sachets of water thrown at her. She endured relentless backlash for her videos, some of which were even yanked off television. And even till this day, she still faces unfair criticism and age-shaming over her fashion choices.
Yet she kept going. She stayed bold, stayed confident, and refused to tone herself down. Through her music and image, she made space for a different kind of female pop star in Nigeria, one that could be expressive, daring, and fully in control. Over time, she helped shift expectations, making it easier for artists like Tems, Ayra Starr, and Fave to step into the spotlight without the same level of resistance.
While the men in this group have navigated the industry's standard cruelties, Tiwa has faced all of those and one more: the resistance that Nigeria's performative conservativeness reserves for women who refuse to accept the ceiling it places on them. So when Wizkid says "we stubborn," he is speaking for all of them, but most accurately about her.
They are not going anywhere
Many Nigerian acts have been great. But greatness isn't enough to describe the class of 2010. It also does not explain why they are still here. What explains it is exactly what Wizkid said it was.
Stubborn.
What this generation has been able to prove is that a Nigerian popstar can sustain fifteen years at the very top. That had not been demonstrated before them, not at this level, not with this consistency. Now, every artist who comes after them and dares to think long-term can do so with the evidence of this class behind them. What they've been able to achieve offers one a new understanding of what a long and sustainable music career can look like.
And the fact of the matter is, they are not done. Tiwa Savage released her fourth album, This One Is Personal, widely regarded as one of the best albums of 2025. Davido delivered the biggest song of the year with With You, which powered his fifth album, 5ive, and embarked on a nationwide stadium tour, connecting with fans from Ibadan to Calabar to Yola. Olamide dropped his eleventh studio album and hit the road in support of it.
Burna Boy released No Sign of Weakness, his eighth studio album. While it didn’t match the commercial heights of his earlier work, it still produced a Grammy-nominated single and sold out stadiums across the world. Yemi Alade remained relentless, releasing six singles in 2025 and already adding more this year. And Wizkid capped it off with the undisputed Detty December anthem Money Constant, which followed a remarkable 16-song feature run alongside some of the hottest names in the scene, including FOLA, Odumodublvck, Young Jonn, Tyla, Ayra Starr, and Mavo.
The hunger and ambition this class still displays 15 years deep, despite all their accomplishments, is unreal. They are not going anywhere. If you think otherwise, you are simply mistaken.