The Rise & Rise Of Afrobeats

One of the first thing that hits you when you touch down in Lagos is the humidity, the sound of Nigerian music bumping in the cars and shops. While you’re in long traffic queues, you can’t help but notice the big billboards with local artists on them all over the city. There’s energy like no other within this buzzing city of approximately 20 million people that not only churns out the music but attracts aspiring musicians from all over Nigeria.

When the originator of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, first came up with Afrobeat music back in late 60s Nigeria, never would anyone have foreseen the rise of West African music to its current form. In the past few years, the young sound of Africa has managed to travel beyond boundaries: not just entertaining listeners, but creating a sense of pride about the continent. First there was music from the Congo, with rhumba spearheading the music scene in Africa, then came makossa from Cameroon, kwaito from South Africa, highlife from Ghana – and now Afrobeats (also known as Naija beats) from Nigeria.

The continent is a billion strong, and the wealth is enormous. The new genres of music from Africa shine a positive light on the continent which is represented by a younger, digitally-connected generation that knows no boundaries. Afrobeats is here to stay: it originates from the heart of the challenges that face the continent and, in breaking boundaries, is uniting Africa like never before. So who are some of the main players in the mix?

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