Kwaramusic.com™

I know this article will stir some controversy or at least get a few people upset. Truth is before we launched this blog/website, I wanted to know what the top Nigerian music sites have in common so I could learn from them. To my surprise, I couldn’t find any definitive list after searching Google for “Top Music Websites in Nigeria”. I altered the words several times using different key words, but still couldn’t find what I was looking for. What I found were comments on Nairaland and other forums from people who were trying to promote their blog (not like that’s a bad thing though). The most viable result my search yielded was a mixtape titled Mistah Cole presents: The Top 20 Nigerian Music “The Bloggers” Choice Vol. 1. The mixtape was compiled by 5 top Nigerian blogs (although only 3 out of 5 of them are in our top ten: the remaining 2 came in at numbers 11 and 14). As cool as this mixtape was, it didn’t still give me what I wanted. So I had to make a list myself. After all, when life gives you lemons, you’ve got to make lemonade.

As a disclaimer, the result of this list is based on Alexa’s ranking. Alexa is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) and most respected web traffic (amount of people visiting a website) companies. It ranks websites for an average of 3 months, based on their number of page views, individual time spent on the site, backlinks (number of external sites linking to the site in question) and other metrics.

For the purpose of this list, I will make use of the regional data. That is, the site’s rank in Nigeria (Alexa provides world ranking and regional ranking as well). Without further ado, here we go!

1. Bella Naija

With an Alexa rank of 52 in Nigeria (meaning it’s the 52^nd most visited website in Nigeria), Bella Naija is the most popular music blog in Nigeria. Although music is only a part of what the site offers, Bella Naija is still the number 1 go to site for music related news, events, fashion, etc, the site does it all. They might not offer album reviews (although they recently launched a new feature called “BN Book Review”), the blog keeps music lovers updated: whether it’s selling Dre Beats on BN Bargains or giving us a first listen to Bez’s Super Sun Album on BN Exclusive, the site has stayed strong since its establishment in 2006 and therefore justifies the rank awarded to it by Alexa.

2. Notjustok

Arguably the most popular music website in the country, I honestly thought this would rank highest on the list. Notjustok is our very own itunes store and a place where you could always get the latest exclusives from new videos, new singles and new albums as soon as they are released. Above all, I believe the site’s consistency and professionalism has earned it the respect of daily readers as the site is constantly updated and hardly publishes gossip.

3. NET (Nigerian Entertainment Today)

Although there is also a magazine, NET’s website is also a fantastic resource for music lovers in Nigeria. Bordering on the more serious side of music, the site has got a robust Opinion section which has great articles for anyone looking to be informed as well as entertained on the latest happenings of the music industry in Nigeria. I know they cover other areas other than music, but if you go on the site right now, it’s likely that 4 out of 5 headlines are music related: I believe that qualifies them for a music website.

4. 360nobs

Although the face of this blog, Noble Igwe, is pretty much the heart and soul of this blog (as seen in his weekly escapades, “Memoirs of a Slu…shhkid”), it is still a “hotspot’ for Nigerian music lovers to visit on the web. The site is usually at the forefront of musical events making prompt announcements and usually giving out free tickets. Their album review section (E. A. R.: Essential Album Rating) is also well respected and let’s not forget they also review videos and mixtapes.

5. Jaguda

Pronounced “Jah-Good-ah”, if there’s one thing I know about this website (apart from their regular updates of news concerning the Nigerian music industry of course) is their boldness to promote artists they believe in regardless of the popularity of the artist in question. I hope they keep the flag flying. Also covering more areas than music, it’s no secret that most of their content is music related.

6. that1960chick

You need only hear the name of this site to know it’s Pro-Nigeria: I mean what’s more Nigerian that the year of our independence! Written from the perspective of a girl living in the UK, she sure knows a lot about what’s going on in Nigeria. Reading her blog, you get the feeling as if she’s talking to you in person because she (I cannot tell you her name, sorry)has a very clear way of expressing herself in writing. I believe that personal touch has paid off.

7. Gidilounge

Started by its founder, Olumide Adewunmi, mainly as a music player which could stream music directly from the internet, Gidilounge has grown into a prominent online radio station in Nigeria, where you are sure to hear the latest hits as they are released. Their radio facility coupled with their blog which keeps readers abreast with the latest news from the Nigerian music scene; Gidilounge is a haven for Nigerian music lovers: whether at home or in the diaspora.

8. Nigeriamusicmovement

This is one of the most extensive music site on this list: I say extensive because it covers so much! If you want to read through their entire content, you just might spend your whole day as you navigate through Deejays, models, albums and so on. Despite all these, I believe the most potent part of this site is their database of profiles of Nigerian music artists. So if ever you need the biography of your favorite Nigerian music artist, you know where to go.

9. Tru spot!

This is one of my personal favorites on this list. Why? Apart from a wonderfully designed site which is simply a marvel to look at, the online radio facility is fantastic! Best part is you can select your favorite artist, and listen to almost any song by such a Nigerian artist. For instance, at the time of writing this, the site has 50 songs from M. I., comprising of songs from Talk about it, Illegal music, MI2 and even the latest single from Illegal Music 2! All of which, you can listen to anytime over the internet. Talk about customer service.

10. Nigerianhiphop (.net)

Last but definitely not least, is one of the few music blogs, that caters solely for the need of hip hop heads. One thing I respect about this site is that they try to stay from the norm as they go out of their way to source for information, so that while other blogs have the exact same news, they offer something different. I salute them for being bold enough to tackle the niche of hip hop specifically. Would love to see an R&B loyalist, do this.

Sorry for the long post, but I believe it is necessary to give honor to whom honor is due. Other sites that didn’t make it to this list either because they cover a lot more than music or are as not as old include: Lindaikeji, Ynaija, Djmightymike, Undadarock, Naijaura, Naijamayor, Mthirty3, Timmynaija and Radiopalmwine.

Below is a table listing the sites and their rank in Nigeria.

(Note: Please the rank is the position of the site relative to all websites visited from Nigeria. So the lower the figure, the higher the position of such a site)