Asake has started 2026 with the force of a tidal wave. His joint EP ‘REAL, Vol. 1’ with Wizkid shattered streaming records before the confetti from New Year's Eve had settled. After four consecutive years as TurnTable's Artiste of the Year (2022–2025), the question isn't whether Asake will contend for the Year-End No. 1 spot, it's whether anyone can pry it from his grip.

Here are the artistes with the strongest cases.

ASAKE: The Man to Beat

In 2022, my friend Dennis observed “They say time and tide waits for no man…but time does wait for some men in some instances - like when you're the hottest breakout star on the continent.”

Three years later, time is still waiting for Asake.

After a comparatively quiet 2025 that yielded only two singles ("Why Love" and "Badman Gangsta"), Asake returned in 2026 with precision. ‘Real, Vol. 1 EP,’ a joint project with Wizkid has already reset expectations. Early numbers suggest his most commercially potent era may still lie ahead, and industry chatter points to a solo album before year-end.

What separates Asake from his peers is the marriage between intention and execution. Every move reads as deliberate. On "PBUY," he warned: "I just blow but, omo, I know my set." Four years later, that knowledge has translated into dominion.

WIZKID: The Forever Starboy

If you needed a reason to see why Wizkid is revered amongst his peers, look no further than 2025. It’s astounding when you realize ‘Superstar’ is turning 15 this year, ‘Ayo’ is a little over a decade old. Wizkid is one of the biggest Nigerian acts of his generation. His longevity is a testament to his ability to adapt in an ever-changing industry.

Wizkid had a stellar 2025, every guest verse arrived meticulous, street-aware, and executed with the grace of an artiste who hears tomorrow's trends before they form.

Then came January 2026: the ‘REAL, Vol. 1’ EP with Asake, a project that merges two generations of Nigerian pop royalty and suggests that Wizkid isn’t letting go of the clown.

If 2025 was Wizkid sharpening his tools, 2026 appears to be the year he wields them again.

FOLA: The New SI Unit of Success

Every generation needs a voice to score its romantic comedies; FOLA is that voice for the mid-2020s. His breakout arrived in 2024 with "Alone" (featuring Bhadboi OML), but the remix with Bnxn transformed curiosity into devotion. Rather than slow down, FOLA released his debut EP What A Feeling in December 2024, repositioning himself "promising newcomer" to "chart-topper."

2025 became his feature year: "Dangbana Riddim" with Bella Shmurda, "Better" with Zlatan, "Titi" with Kizz Daniel, "Very Soon" with Buju, "One Condition" with DJ Tunez and Wizkid, "Despacito" with Blaqbonez. Then came his debut album Catharsis—currently on 14 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart.

Eight weeks into 2026, FOLA has already appeared on Shoday's "Paparazzi" and teased new material. Every track he's ever released debuted on the Official Nigeria Top 100. At 24, with national spotlight only arriving in 2024, his ascent feels both meteorically rapid and meticulously earned.

SEYI VIBEZ: The Workhorse

There’s a running joke that the devil works hard but Seyi Vibez works harder.

Ten projects in three years. For most artistes, such volume risks dilution. For Seyi, each release has expanded his orbit. He captured the streets first; the charts followed. He entered 2026 as Nigeria's Most-Streamed Artiste for the second consecutive year, a statistical confirmation of cultural saturation.

His 2026 opener "Healer" (featuring Omah Lay) arrived with purpose, debuting at No. 3 on both Top Streaming and Top Radio charts. The track hints at something new: Seyi Vibez's first full-on pop project, engineered for radio dominance.

We can't predict his musical direction, but we can predict another project before year-end. If "Healer" signals the pivot, 2026 may represent Seyi Vibez's commercial coronation.

MAVO: The Viral Vanguard

When you hear "No more way for people," you're already inside a Mavo song.

The Edo-born artiste, still a medical student at Afe Babalola University, has transformed skepticism into attention through relentless viral engineering. He struck while iron burned: Kilometer II arrived, followed by a feature run that treated every guest verse as a cultural event.

When you hear, “No more way for people”, you know it is a Mavo song. If listeners once regarded Mavo with a sneer, they are now paying attention. The Edo-born artiste has capitalised on a string of viral moments and catalogue discovered by newer audiences.

"Decemblizzy." "Focus on Focus." "Your Body na meat pie", a line that escaped the song to colonize Nigerian social media. These moments prove Mavo's supremacy. Where demand appears, Mavo supplies. The featured singles have carried into 2026, and as long as the demand for his unique brand of his energy remains high, Mavo is a dark horse for the Year-End No. 1.

REMA & AYRA STARR: The Mavin Elites

Rema’s "quiet" 2025 still yielded three No. 1 singles ("FUN," "Baby (Is It A Crime)," and "LaLaLa"). His recent appearance on Don Toliver’s "Secondhand" suggests he is gearing up for a global assault. If Rema decides to pivot back to a domestic-heavy release schedule, his ceiling is nonexistent.

Similarly, Ayra Starr continues to shatter the glass ceiling. Between touring with Coldplay and dropping the "best guest verse" on "Escaladizzy II," she has become the ultimate "Hot Girl" of the charts.

As Q1 2026 closes, the question lingers: what does Ayra Starr have up her sleeves? She showed us what a hot girl can do. Now we can't stop watching or wondering what comes next.

The Verdict

Asake remains the man to beat. Four consecutive years atop the TurnTable rankings establish a baseline few can approach. But 2026 offers something rare: legitimate challengers across genres, generations, and artistic approaches.

Wizkid brings legacy and reinvention. FOLA brings connection and consistency. Seyi Vibez brings volume and velocity. Mavo brings virality and unpredictability. Rema brings quiet dominance ready to detonate. Ayra Starr brings statements waiting to be made.

The race for Year-End No. 1 is the most open field in years. And Asake, if he's watching, knows exactly what that means: time may wait for some men, but it never waits forever.