When I first met my wife, I asked what’s her favorite genre of music.
“Afrobeat. Have you heard of it?”
I took her to see Fela! for her birthday right before we got engaged. After we were married, I took her to The Shrine in Harlem for her birthday.
Years later on Twitter I saw a discussion on the difference between Fela’s Afrobeat and Afrobeats. (Get it mixed it and folks will make fun of you.)
Today I read a great article from Haniyah Philogene on the history of Afrobeats and its status as a musical art that unites the African diaspora.
 thegrio.com Fast forward years later to the mainstream emergence of Afrobeats. Similar to the sounds of Kuti, the modern iteration of the genre draws influences from traditional West African sounds while weaving in inspiration from hip-hop, dancehall, and contemporary R&B. Today, the genre of Afrobeats acts as an umbrella term for numerous subgenres from across Africa’s 58 countries. |
thegrio.com
Fast forward years later to the mainstream emergence of Afrobeats. Similar to the sounds of Kuti, the modern iteration of the genre draws influences from traditional West African sounds while weaving in inspiration from hip-hop, dancehall, and contemporary R&B. Today, the genre of Afrobeats acts as an umbrella term for numerous subgenres from across Africa’s 58 countries.
That’s Asake in the featured photo. Below is a popular playlist of Afrobeats tunes.