Afro-Adura, a sound once dismissed as “trench music,” has become one of Nigeria’s most influential genres, and Spotify has now made it official on its platform.
Spotify has now made it official on its platform — a milestone that Seyi Vibez further cemented with his dominance on the streaming charts.
The singer finished 2025 as the second-most-streamed artist in Nigeria on Spotify, while his album Children of Africa ranked among the top 10 most-streamed albums in the country.
His climb reflects how far Afro-Adura has travelled from underground street circles to global legitimacy.
Afro-Adura is a Nigerian sub-genre of Afrobeats defined by its prayer-like lyrics, emotional depth, and themes of resilience, hustle, and hope.
The term “Adura” means “prayer” in Yoruba, and the sound blends spirituality, raw street expression, and real-life storytelling.
Although many connected with the sound, Afro-Adura struggled with recognition in its early days. Some listeners dismissed it as “trench music,” a phrase used to undermine the style and the communities it came from.
But this mockery inspired a cultural response. Nigerian music lovers on Twitter (now X) began using “Afro-Adura” as a reclaimed label to define the emerging genre with pride. The slang spread quickly, becoming a widely accepted name long before any streaming platform formalised it.
Spotify’s recognition officially added Afro-Adura to the platform’s genre list, allowing artistes under the category to reach wider audiences through curated playlists, editorial highlights and refined algorithmic recommendations.
For the first time, a sound that grew from online slang and street culture entered the global music taxonomy.
No artiste embodies this rise better than Seyi Vibez. Long before mainstream fame, he was an underground act with emotionally charged singles like “God Sent,” “Superstar,” and “NSNV,” songs that built him a cult following and introduced his signature blend of prayer, pain and melody.
But his real breakthrough came with the release of his album Billion Dollar Baby in November 2022.
A standout track on the album, “Chance (Na Ham)”, became the defining hit of his career. The song debuted at No. 19 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and later peaked at No. 7 on the TurnTable Top 100.
Its explosive success helped push Billion Dollar Baby to No. 1 on the TurnTable 50 Albums Chart, proving that the once-underground artiste had crossed firmly into mainstream territory. “Chance” also earned him the Best Street-Hop Artiste award at the 16th Headies in 2023, solidifying his place in the movement.
Seyi Vibez’s sound remains the clearest reflection of Afro-Adura. His songs are deeply spiritual, street-rooted and emotionally layered. His dominance on Spotify in 2025, finishing as Nigeria’s second most-streamed artiste, shows the genre’s growing power.
His album Children of Africa continued the tradition, landing within the year’s top 10 most-streamed albums.
Beyond Seyi Vibez, artistes such as TI Blaze, Rybeena, TML Vibes and Balloranking are carrying the Afro-Adura flame. Their music frequently trends on TikTok and Twitter, echoing the daily struggles and ambitions of young Nigerians who turn to the genre for motivation.
Afro-Adura has become more than a sound. It represents survival, resilience and the realities of Nigerian youth.
With Spotify now recognising the genre and Seyi Vibez firmly at its forefront, the movement has transitioned from underestimated “trench music” to one of the most influential forces shaping contemporary Nigerian culture and global Afrobeats.
