The 2022 Power List: Top 30 Music Executives In Nigeria

The 2022 Power List: Top 30 Music Executives In Nigeria

Ayomide Oriowo

December 28th, 2022

TurnTable’s Top 30 Music Executives of 2022 is an annual list celebrating industry players who have shaped the Nigerian music scene, both domestically and internationally, in 2022. These individuals have not only contributed to the growth of Nigerian music, but they have also elevated their respective niches while distinguishing themselves as leaders of the industry.

The industry has seen an influx of excited investors who are committing valuable and much-needed resources to promote Nigerian music and providing the needed infrastructure to reshape how the industry operates.

The media is playing an active role in positioning itself as a channel for the mass distribution of Nigerians while also launching verticals that now cater to the new demands of the market. Notable individuals have used their wealth of experiences and carried out the very important task of re-telling the story of Afrobeats and providing much-needed context to an industry where one is desperately needed.

This list covers various sectors of the music industry in Nigeria; digital media, artiste management, record label, music distribution, content creation and music education, and many more.

Executive of the Year

Ezegozie Eze Jr., VP, Strategy & Market Development - Africa & Diaspora, EMPIRE

Ezegozie Eze Jr. has spent almost two decades, holding various roles executive roles in Nigerian music. With those years of experience comes a wealth of knowledge and industry know-how that he and the rest of the EMPIRE Africa team have been able to put to effective use during the year.

In 2022 alone, the record label was responsible for eleven No. 1 songs in Nigeria – the highest by any organization in a single calendar year (the previous record was also held by EMPIRE with 4 in 2021).

EMPIRE

The top three executives of 2022 are made up of executives from EMPIRE Africa; the aforementioned Ezegozie Eze Jr., joined by Mobolaji Kareem (Regional Head of West Africa & Executive of the Year, 2021), and Titilope Adesanya (Director of Operations). EMPIRE is not only the No. 1 record label in 2022 (also the No. 1 music distributor); the label also lays claim to the No. 1 Song of 2022 in Kizz Daniel & Tekno's "Buga (Lo Lo Lo)," the No. 1 Album of 2022 in Asake's Mr. Money With The Vibe and the No. 1 Artiste of 2022 in Asake.

Major Labels

Under Oluwaseun “Banko” Lloyd’s leadership and Nnamdi Okafor’s work as a Digital & Strategic Partner, Sony Music West Africa continued to score victory on and off the charts throughout the year. “Ameno Amapiano Remix” by Goya Menor & Nektunez (B1 Recordings, Sony), “Holy Father” by Mayorkun & Victony (Columbia, Sony), “Ku Lo Sa” by Oxlade (EPIC France, Sony), Second Wave EP & “Asiwaju” by Ruger (Columbia UK, Sony) – the latter is the only No. 1 song released under Sony in 2022; all these songs became hits across digital platforms. Some of these hits became crossover, further contributing to Afrobeats’ growing international success.

Ckay dropped his debut album this year; Sad Romance spurned another global Afrobeats hit in “Emiliana” (which also became Ckay’s highest charting single in Nigeria). WMG’s Temi Adeniji appears on the list – one of the 15 names to appear in both the 2021 and 2022 lists.

Touring & Live Entertainment

Osita “Duke” Ugeh, CEO of Duke Concept, the entertainment company that is responsible for the majority of event production, promotion, and touring Afrobeats artistes across the world, including the iconic Burna Boy’s One Night in Space at Madison Square Garden.

Mainland Block Party and its several spin-offs have been a mainstay in Nigerian pop culture, providing the perfect platform for Nigerian music listeners to enjoy a live music experience built around a community. Tobi Mohammed, CEO of the company behind these events appears on the 2022 Power List.

Record Labels

The legacy record label, Chocolate City has made a killing in 2022. While its catalog record “Love Nwaniti” continues to rake in millions of streams every day on Spotify and YouTube, the label has established a foothold in the local scene with Young Jonn (No. 1 song in Nigeria in 2022), Candy Bleakz and Blaqbonez, coupled with the launch of new acts such as Noon Dave, Major AJ, and TariQ. Abuchi Peter Ugwu, Chief Executive Officer at Chocolate City makes an appearance on the list.

This year, Mavin became the first record label in Nigeria to have all its acts have at least one No. 1 song in the country. “Calm Down” – one of the biggest Afrobeats hits globally in 2022 – ended as the biggest song on radio in 2022 while “Rush” and “Won Da Mo” made Ayra Starr the first female artiste to have multiple No. 1 entries in Nigeria. Chief Operating Officer of Mavin, Tega Oghenejobo, is central to all of these successes – and proved once again that the decade-old record label remains one of the most innovative companies in Nigerian music.

Media & PR

One of the biggest moments of the year came in the form of Ayo Shonaiya’s Afrobeats: The Backstory documentary. The Boomplay-powered documentary created a veritable ground for the telling of more Afrobeats stories whilst providing identity, knowledge, and context for generations of Nigerians.

The media continues to represent a major part of the music scene in Nigeria, using new and improved formats to document and provide commentary for our music. Motolani Alake, the Managing Editor of Pulse Nigeria; Joey Akan, Founder of independent media platform, Afrobeats Intelligence and Seni Saraki, the Editor-in-Chief of NATIVE Networks & Co-President of Native Records are three powerful voices in Media whose valuable contributions earns them a place on the Power List. Seni Saraki also served as an executive producer on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Ayo Animashaun and the Headies went to Atlanta for the first time this year – positioning the most prestigious Nigerian music award show as the foremost in Afrobeats. Bukola Sawyerr-Izeogu appears on the list for her work in PR; clients include Burna Boy and Kizz Daniel, both of which finish as the No. 2 and No. 3 artistes of 2022 respectively.

Music Education

The Music Business Academy (MBA) has become the No. 1 program for providing the next generation of music executives with a wide spectrum of globally relevant administrative skills. The program is founded by Godwin Tom, who makes an appearance on the list.

If MBA is raising the next generation of music executives, The Sarz Academy is training the next generation of Afrobeats producers. The academy, which had its third year in 2022, was tagged as TSA 3.0. It was a watershed moment for TSA and Olajumoke Olayiwola when one of its alum, P. Priime, was revealed as one of the producers of the Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Olajumoke Olayiwola also doubles as legal advisory and management for P. Priime, Telz, Semzi, and Ileri. All these producers became eligible for at least one plaque for their contributions to either a No. 1 song or No. 1 album in Nigeria in 2022.

Music Distribution

In the 2022 End of the Year Charts published by TurnTable Charts, Skiibii’s “Baddest Boy (Remix)” [Dvpper Music] with Davido ranks as the only song in the top ten that is not released under EMPIRE or Mavin Records. It is no surprise that the CEO of Dapper Music, Damilola Akinwunmi appears on this list.

ONErpm (Africa) reached new heights in 2022 with the success of 1da Banton’s “No Wahala,” Timaya’s “Cold Outside” and Bella Shmurda’s debut album, the first No. 1 album on the Afro-Pop Genre Album Chart. Osagie Osarenz, the Director – of A&R and Operations, appears on the list for a second consecutive year.

Oye Akideinde and Continued Entertainment proved in 2022 that originality and market know-how will ensure that Nigerian-owned distribution companies can compete in an ever-changing local and global landscape.

Management

Tems, who emerged as the No. 1 Afrobeats Artiste in the United States, closed with the year “WAIT FOR U” ranking as No. 3 on the Official Top International Songs Chart of 2022 (year-end chart of the most popular songs released by non-Nigerian artistes in the country). Her work as a credited artiste on the Wakanda Forever soundtrack also earned her a top 20 hit in Nigeria as a songwriter on “Lift Me Up.” Both “WAIT FOR U” and “Lift Me Up” topped the weekly Top International Songs chart during the year – a proof of Tems’ positioning as one of the international flagbearers of Afrobeats. Her management team of Muyiwa Awoniyi & Wale Davies appear on the 2022 Power List.

Ckay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah) [Remix]” ended the year as the No. 1 Nigerian Song Globally – it was also No. 1 in 2021. The artiste’s follow-up “Emiliana” proved that lightning can indeed strike twice while his singles “WATAWI,” “You” and “Mmadu” made debuts on the Nigeria Top 100. Sad Romance also earned the artiste his first No. 1 album on the Alternative Albums Chart. The Plug Entertainment co-Founders, Bizzle Osikoya and Asa Asika, appear on the list for their management role for Ckay.

Burna Boy released his birthday-themed album in July 2022, which would go on to shatter several opening-day and opening-week records on different streaming platforms in Nigeria. It holds the record for the biggest opening day and opening week on Boomplay, Spotify and YouTube in Nigeria – and launched six songs in the top ten on the TurnTable Nigeria Top 100 in its debut week (a feat that’s only surpassed by Asake’s Mr Money With The Vibe with 8 and Davido’s A Better Time with 7 in 2020). “Last Last” became one of the most endearing hits of 2022 in Nigeria – it still remains in the top 30 most-streamed song in the final chart week of 2022 despite being released in May. The song ranked at No. 7 on the End of the Year Charts. Burna Boy’s manager, Bose Ogulu appears on the Power List for a second consecutive year.

Marshall Onaemo doubles as Omah Lay’s manager and EVP of KeyQaad. He also served as Executive Producer on Boy Alone, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2022. ‘Boy Alone’ spurned four top 10 hits including “Attention” featuring Justin Bieber (also Gold in Canada).

Legal

These four lawyers are at the forefront of entertainment law in Nigeria, championing the rights for which creatives get paid for their work and IP. In a country riddled with negligence and lack of knowledge of rights, these lawyers (and others) are shining a light on an essential part of the music ecosystem.

Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, Iredumare Opeyemi, Tope Salami and Akinyemi Ayinoluwa complete the list of Top 30 Music Executives.

All in all, these thirty individuals have earned their spots on this list through ingenuity, hard work, vision, and selflessness. Here are the Top 30 executives that defined 2022 in Nigerian Music (in order)

1. Ezegozie Eze Jr. – Executive of the Year, 2022

2. Mobolaji Kareem - Executive of the Year, 2021