There was also Fuse ODG’s “ Antenna” in 2012, Ayo Jay’s “ Your Number” in 2013, Davido’s “ If” in 2017 and, more recently, Afro B’s “ Joanna” which topped charts in the UK and US. There was D’banj’s “ Oliver twist” which broke into the UK R&B charts in 2011 and eventually got D’banj a deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music. Many people framing the conversation about Afrobeats in the diaspora today refer to Beyonce’s homage to it in her recent album “ The Lion King: The Gift”, and how it is serving as a tipping point/gateway for Afrobeats in the diaspora.Īrguably, in recent times, this has been the best form of validation for the movement, but even before Beyonce paid her dues to the movement, there have always been Afrobeats tracks crossing over. He recounted wanting to just make music that was amazing to listen to, but also feeling the burden to make music that spoke to the experience of his fellow Nigerians.Īnd it lives on today, in recent years, Burna Boy has drawn attention to the lasting effects of colonialism in his song “ Another Story”, New school Rema asks the Government what do they really governise and warns of a revolution as he subsequently sings in tandem about the girl he wants to wine on, all on an Afro-Trap beat in “ Rewind”, perfectly portraying the influence of Afrobeat, even as Afrobeats fuses more and more with contemporary sounds. In an Instagram Live interview with us, Sound Sultan spoke about what it was like being an artist in these times. That tradition was carried on by later generations of artistes like Eedris Abdulkareem and Sound Sultan who sang about corrupt government officials and school systems in songs like “ Jaga Jaga”, “ Mr Lecturer” and “ Mathematics”. It is a lifestyle, a testament to the Pan-African spirit, our culture and shared rhythms, especially since the sub-genres and sounds grouped as Afrobeats are often distinctly different.Īfrobeat(s) purists have always strived to make people understand that Afrobeats is not to be conflated with Afrobeat. Music in this category is syncretized with various genres such as House music, Hip Hop, Soca, R&B and other West African sounds and rhythms. Technically, Afrobeats is a broad sweeping term for wide swaths of contemporary pop music made in West Africa and its diaspora. For us, it is this shared connection to the music in the crowd that has us thinking about the journey of Afrobeats, and how it has evolved to this point. His distinct Afro-fusion - a sub-genre of Afrobeats - seems to defy borders, which makes sense, as Music has always been said to be more about the emotions it evokes than the actual words. When Burna Boy eventually makes his appearance, the crowd’s reaction is electric. Burna Boy at the Apollo Theater, NY in April 2019
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