Written By:Tosin Ajogbeje/Date:2021-08-22
Afrobeats is here to stay. Before we put more spotlight on the irresistible, harmonious sound of Afrobeat, more of its contemporary history needs to be told. Afrobeat is an eclectic, and compelling fusion of West African and Black American music that has inspired throngs of global acts across the world.
With its unique rhythms and hip-shaking music, Afrobeats is one music genre that is taking over the world by storm. When Beyonce made her previous album, The Lion King: The Gift, she hand-picked a diverse number of talented African artists to contribute to the remarkable production. This was her “love letter to Africa” and she needed Afrobeats to make it happen. Now let’s delve into the musical style itself.
Research claims that Afrobeat and Afrobeats are particularly distinct in sound and genre. Afrobeat is a mix of African music and American soul and jazz. Likewise, Afrobeats is nicknamed “Afropop”, a form of popular music that connects African and Western music, Ghanaian blend, including dancehall, house, soca, Naija beats and hiplife. Popular artists like Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Mr. Eazi, D’banj, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Tekno and Davido continue to pave the way for the Afrobeats mastery while featuring on many popular playlists on music streaming platforms. But when it involves understanding the origin of this influential art, then we mustn’t fail to mention the masterly Fela Aníkúlápó-Kuti.
Fela Kuti as he was called was the master figure and cultural icon in developing and defining the afrobeat sound in the early 1970s. His musical prowess was drawn to all kinds of political and human rights movements. Through his music and marathon live performances with his band Egypt 80, he criticized the human rights records and corruption antics of Nigeria and the United States. Tony Allen, Fela’s drummer also helped shape the Afrobeat sound by mixing in elements of hip-hop, dub and electronica to form an original subgenre called Afrofunk. His unique musical style continues to receive widespread recognition and accolades from all over the world.
Today, many Afrobeats artists have emerged on the world stage and shaking up the global music industry. Wizkid brought his A game when he contributed to Drake’s 2016 hit ‘One Dance”. US artists like Ciara and Major Lazer have incorporated Afrobeats sounds in their music. Again Wizkid recently featured Justin Bieber in his hit song(Essence) with Tems for an outstanding remix. His Made In Lagos album and his recent world tour announcements have recorded great reviews with people calling “Essence” the song of the summer and for its Billboard Hot 100 add.
Artists like Tiwa Savage and Davido are also leading the music spotlight and gaining popularity in the global music scene. Both artists have won international awards in the MTV Europe Music Awards and BET Awards respectively. So where do we see Afrobeats 20 years from now? I would say it’s here to inspire, lead and change the music game. Sony Music and Universal Music Group have offices in Lagos, where they sign local artists and further their musical success for the world to see. We can say that these new school Afrobeats artists have opened the way for the music genre or as an article written by The ONE Campaign states “Afrobeats artists paved their own way to international success.” And they will keep topping the charts in the music markets while inspiring Africans to create positive change around the world.
References
https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/people/2017/10/18/nigerian-pop-music-in-the-shadow-of-fela-kuti