Forbes’ list of the Top 10 African Acts For 2017 have been released and it features the following music acts; Akon, Black Coffee Hugh Masekela, Don Jazzy, Tinashe, Jidenna, Wizkid, Davido, Sarkodie, Mtukudzi. Forbes factored in their endorsement value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, social media presence, influence and many more.
Profile of the top 10
1. AKON
Akon has over 35 million albums sold worldwide. He has won numerous awards including five Grammy Award nominations and has 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt. He tops the list according to Forbes Africa.
2. BLACK COFFEE, SOUTH AFRICA
The multi-award-winning artist’s real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo. He was born in South Africa’s house music province, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and raised in the Eastern Cape province, where Nelson Mandela hailed from, before moving back to KZN to study music.
3. HUGH MASEKELA, SOUTH AFRICA
Hugh was born in Witbank, east of Johannesburg. He has released more than 43 albums and performed with Marvin Gaye, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba.
4. DON JAZZY, NIGERIA
Don Jazzy is ranked fourth richest in Africa and also first in Nigeria. Like many artists, his real name is Michael Collins Ajereh, and he started playing music as a child in church before moving to the UK to pursue his career.
5. TINASHE, ZIMBABWE-AMERICAN
Tinashe was a child model by the age of three. The twenty-four-year-old sang before she could talk and made her first appearance in 2000 in the film Cora Unashamed. Her voice also starred in the cartoon feature film The Polar Express alongside Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.
6. JIDENNA, NIGERIAN-AMERICAN
By the age of 10, Jidenna Theodore Mobisson knew he wanted to do music but was afraid to tell his father who wanted him to be an engineer. He is ranked sixth according to Forbes Africa.
7. WIZKID, NIGERIA
Wizkid is arguably currently the uncrowned king of African music. Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz, danced to his songs Ojuelegba and Caro, with Keys posting a video on her Instagram account with the caption, “This song makes me happy”. Kylie Jenner also posted a video of herself dancing to Wizkid’s music on Snapchat.
8. DAVIDO, NIGERIA
Davido has claimed a high status in just five years. He said it was people like P-Square and D’Banj who made him believe this was possible. He became famous for his widely acclaimed 2012 debut album “Omo Baba Olowo”.
9. SARKODIE, GHANA
Michael Owusu Addo started out as an underground rapper and through the help of Duncan Williams, his former manager, his career was launched. Staying true to his identity, he is a big advocate of Azonto, a Ghanaian genre that is said to have been born out of Kpanlogo, a traditional dance.
His first single off his fourth album, Mewu, sold almost 4,000 copies on the first day of its release in Ghana. He was also the first Ghanaian to win a BET award.
10. OLIVER MTUKUDZI, ZIMBABWE
Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi has 65 albums under his belt, more than the legendary Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. It’s a remarkable career stretching back 41 years with songs that have enlivened parties all over the world. He is ranked 10th richest musician in Africa.
7 things you should know about Nigeria-born American singer, Jidenna
Jidenna may come across as calm, cool and collected on his single, “Classic Man” but in a recent interview with VLADTV, Janelle Monae’s protégé shocked many Nigerians when he revealed that his appearance made him bring-in a lot of AK47s and employed military commandos when he came to Nigeria to bury his father for fear of being kidnapped.
When asked to speak about the challenges of skin color in Nigeria. He recalls how his family brought weapons and military-style protection when attending his father’s funeral in an Igbo village.
“The fact that you have African blood in you is gonna make it hard. When you’re light-skinned, you’re a heavier target for being kidnapped because you’re seen as more valuable. You’re seen as white. You have more money. We were robbed – our family’s been assaulted. We’ve had a lot of issues.”
The Classic Man’s views resulted in a lot of backlash from social media with commenters saying his thoughts are “ignorant” and that they paint a negative light on Nigerian people:
“The one time they ask Jidenna about Nigeria he gives it a negative light… Odiegwu.”
But can you really say someone’s own memories and feelings about something they’ve actually experienced are wrong?
Sadly, Jidenna is not as popular in Nigeria as he is in America and very little is known about him.
Here are 7 facts about the ‘Classic man’ singer…
1) He was born Jidenna Theodore Mobisson in Winsconsin, America.
2) His mum, Tama Mobisson is an America-born Accountant while his dad, Oliver Mobisson is a Nigerian and one-time Professor of Computer Science at Enugu State University.
3) Jidenna’s name in Igbo Language means to ’embrace the father’
4) He is the youngest of four siblings.
5) He graduated from Stanford Univeristy in 2008 with a BA in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.
6) Jidenna is a founding member of Fear and Fancy, a social club that began in California in 2006.
7) He released his first ever single ‘Classic Man’ in February 2015….