Afropop Top Videos, March 2026: Mr Eazi & King Promise, Doctor Nativo, Odd Okoddo, Angelique and Ayra and more!

<p><em>March was a rich month on the video front. Today we have nine new offerings from cumbia to tradi-modern forays and, of course, Afrobeats and its cousins.</em></p> <p><em>Check out </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdQpQFvdIp8&list=PLZkFL0SqZb8KAgMdbGHzIV-QhbXX-duR-" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>the full Afropop Top Videos playlist</em></a><em> for all our recent selections. And remember, if you have suggestions of videos our fans would love, send them to </em><a href="mailto:info@afropop.org"><em>info@afropop.org</em></a><em> with the subject line “Top Videos 2026.” Enjoy!</em></p> <p><strong>King Promise & Mr Eazi: “Mariana”</strong></p> <p>Nigerian singer and entrepreneur <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/audio-programs/planet-afropop-mr-eazi-gets-evil">Mr Eazi</a> calls his style Banku Music, “a mellow fusion of Ghanaian highlife, Nigerian chord sensibilities and Pidgin storytelling.” His ongoing collaboration with Ghanaian singer King Promise works well on this “lover boy” number with its seductive groove, tripping beat and warm vocals. Also nice to see more or less ordinary African urban life, a world where love tops luxury.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gVNo5ZV15k4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Angelique Kidjo and Ayra Starr: “Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?)”</strong></p> <p>Maybe one reason Angelique Kidjo remains so eternally youthful is the way she constantly collaborates with emerging talents who could be her children. This affectionate duet with one of Nigeria’s hottest new stars is a case in point. Reviewer Mukwae Wabei Siyolwe calls it “not just a collaboration, but an ancestral, generational echo, one artist who helped define the global language of contemporary African music, and another who grew up watching that language expand from her television screen.” Read more <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/ang%C3%A9lique-kidjo-and-ayra-starr-two-queens-from-benin-unite-on-aye-kan-are-you-coming-back">here</a>.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RmwQ7ruwjcM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Cheikh Ibra Fam: “Amoul Solo”</strong></p> <p>The Senegalese singer/songwriter/bandleader says this song from his 2026 album, <em>Adouna</em> has a message: “people focus on material things, on luxury, on things that look expensive, but happiness is not so far away. It's just the faith in your heart. In Africa, you see, we don't have a lot in terms of money, but still we have a lot. Joy and happiness don't have a price.” We hear the legacy of Orchestra Baobab in this groovy, slinky, soulful number. Read Banning Eyre’s interview with Cheikh Ibra Fam <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/cheikh-ibra-fam-contemplates-life-with-aduna">here</a>.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mGFySvjcYew" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Doctor Nativo: “Chokolate Kakaw”</strong></p> <p>Doctor Nativo’s journey from his Cuban/Mayan family in war-torn Guatemala to a new live in Chapas, Mexico, street band fame in Barcelona, and now to an avatar of the global cumbia movement is one for the story books. Stay tuned for Banning Eyre’s interview with this remarkable artist. For now, take in this tantalizing taste of the Mayan Chokolate ceremony. </p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UCSCH7is5b0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Nuevos Rios: “La Vida es un Baile”</strong></p> <p>Here’s roots cumbia from Colombia’s Pacific Coast, complete with bubbling marimbas, sassy vocal hooks, and joyful street ambiance from Plaza de Mercado Galería, in Cali, Colombia. Nidia Góngora's Canalón de Timbiquí - one of Colombia's most quitessential folklore ensembles joins forces with French electronic trio Reco Reco, but as in the best “tradi-modern” (see Odd Okoddo below), the modern takes a back seat to the tradi.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Au965VkXjts" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Patoranking: “African Soldier Ft. Buju Banton”</strong></p> <p>Ghana’s Patoranking and Jamaica’s Buju Banton kick out rootsy, engaged dancehall here. Our reviewer Mukwae Wabei Siyolwe says this one is “not simply for entertainment, but a vehicle for cultural consciousness and political reflection.” Read more <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/nigerian-patoranking-and-jamaican-dancehall-king-buju-banton-call-for-black-liberation-with-african-soldier">here</a>.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/32oj4CeydbY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Sean Dampte: “Lifestyle”</strong></p> <p>Add the name Sean Dampte to the list of rising Afrobeats artists out of Lagos. The PR says, “Taken from his forthcoming album <em>Awoodah: Sounds of Kalakuta</em> arriving in April (2026), ‘Lifestyle’ is an infectious summer-ready afrofusion offering with amapiano sensibilities.” With a raspy voice and an easy amble, Dampte delivers a characteristic Afrobeats celebration of the rich, glamorous ‘lifestyle’ so many fans aspire to, even if few ever achieve. </p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iarIt4bRbMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Jorge Drexler feat. Rueda de Candombe: “¿Qué será que es?”</strong></p> <p>Another candombe-cut gem from <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/jorge-drexler-goes-deep-with-candombe-on-new-album-tarac%C3%A1">Jorge Drexler’s album<em> Taracá</em></a><em>. </em>We feel the spirit of neighboring Brazil in this ode to nostalgia, childhood and beauty, with the swing of samba and fluid, chromatic guitar riffs of choro. </p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/U0_LLx-otXE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Odd Okoddo & Ogoya Nengo: “Bara” </strong></p> <p>This act marks a positive trend in the “tradi-modern” music movement, which mixes electronic musical wizardry with deep, sometimes ancient, folklore. In the new alchemy, folklore is foregrounded and electronics provide atmospherics, rather than the other way around. The Kenyan music label From Cool Waters presents Nairobi-based <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/audio-programs/the-nyege-nyege-villa-east-african-hub-of-the-electronic-music-underground-2">Nyege Nyege</a>collaborator and experimental drummer Sven Kacirek with 83-year-old folk artist Ogoya Nengo and dodo singer/songwriter and luthier Olith Ratego, promising “electroacoustic synergy unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.” We concur.</p> <figure><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OHftHzR4NJ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure> <p><br></p> <p><br></p>