As the world grappled with the covid-19 pandemic, Nigeria like most countries declared a lockdown that started in late February and wouldn’t ease up until May.
During the lockdown, Nigerian artists couldn’t make money from live performances which is the primary means of income for most hence they had to come up with new ways to generate revenue.
The alternative was streaming royalties which saw numerous artists release projects in an era that coincided with the rise of music streaming platforms in Nigeria.
During the lockdown of 2020 that lasted roughly 3 months between March – May, several artists released projects during the period with some enjoying major commercial success that rocketed some acts to mainstream success.
Here are 9 unforgettable projects that soundtracked the lockdown of 2020
1. Barry Jhay – Barry Back
The song of the late Fuji icon Chief Ayinde Barrister, Barry Jhay released his debut album ‘Barry Back’ on February 28, 2020, just as the world prepared for lockdown.
The album which featured a guest appearance from Davido was an instant favourite among listeners and announced Barry Jhay as one of the stars to look out for.
2. Odunsi The Engine – Everything You Heard Is True
Odunsi The Engine is one of the central figures in Nigerian Alternative music and in May 2020, he released his acclaimed EP ‘Everything You Heard Is True’ which spurned the hit singles ‘Wicked Sexy’ and ‘Body Count’.
3. Oxlade – Oxygene
Oxlade delivered one of the memorable projects of the lockdown era with his EP ‘Oxygene’ which had the hit singles ‘O2’ and ‘Away’.
4. A-Q – God’s Engineering
A-Q ensured Nigerian hip hop was not missing in action during the interminable lone time of the 2020 COVID lockdown with the release of his acclaimed album ‘God’s Engineering’ which restates his status as one of Nigeria’s finest lyricists.
5. MI & A-Q – The Live Report
When a fan on Twitter (now X) asked MI if he would be open to making a collaborative project with A-Q, he didn’t know it would lead to one of Nigeria’s hip hop most iconic joint tapes.
‘The Live Report’ gave Nigerian hip-hop fans hard-hitting rap tracks to ruminate on during the lockdown.
6. Brymo – Yellow
Considered to be Brymo’s magnum opus by many fans, ‘Yellow’ is a product of deep thoughts and Brymo’s superlative artistry. Released on April 1, 2020, the album had the popular records ‘Rara Rira,’ ‘Adedotun,’ and ‘Ozymandias’ which are some of Brymo’s finest records.
7. Chike – Boo of the Booless
Although released in early February 2020, Chike’s ‘Boo of the Booless’ would blow up during the lockdown and rocket him to mainstream success. The RnB album that embraces Igbo cultural elements announced Chike on the scene and would become one of the best debut albums in Nigerian mainstream music.
8. Omah Lay – Get Layd
Omah Lay is one of the breakout artists of the 2020 lockdown as his debut EP ‘Get Layd’ delivered 5 hit records from 5 tracks.
9. Laycon – Who Is Laycon
Before participating in the Big Brother Lockdown edition which he won, Laycon released the album ‘Who Is Laycon’ which blew up during his time on the reality show and became one of the popular albums of the lockdown era.
