

Whether experimenting with soukous, Ghanaian drill, or bongo flava, Afrobeats veteran DJ Neptune has long been committed to elevating African artistry. With the fourth installment in his Greatness album series, he continues to push boundaries, delivering a body of work stylistically different from its predecessors, but no less collaborative. Plutomania Records artist Reehaa sets things off in collaboration with the Kabusa Oriental Choir on “Amin.” Not long thereafter, Nigerian British singer Moelogo delivers a generational love anthem over an Afro-piano instrumental on “Come with Me.” Much of Greatness IV operates at the intersection of Afrobeats’ unmissable percussive base and the airy synths and shakers popularized by amapiano. Elsewhere, the project serves to highlight the new power players in street pop, the frenetic subgenre inspired by life in Nigerian ghettos and inner cities. Gbolar Mighty brings a decidedly Lagos mainland perspective to “Street.” But it’s Hotkeed who delivers the album’s true star turn on “Never Settle for Less,” crafting a grass-to-grace story anchored by sardonic impulse.