Right, following on from Alvin’s last CC: on Black British nightlife and party culture, (if you haven’t read it check it out here) I felt it appropriate to discuss afrobeats, and the genres importance to the diaspora and how/why it’s become more prominent over the last few years. After attending DLT Malta (shout out to them for organising and hosting the ultimate party holiday throwing the ultimate holiday) I came to the realisation that Afrobeats is currently the IT genre, and in Black British culture, you basically can’t have a good party without afrobeats.
This may seem very Nigerian biassed but I can’t help it.
Before I get into the crux of the article, for all those who don’t know,DLT is a day party which fuses good food, great music and even better vibes. Whilst at DLT Malta, I was reminiscing that as Africans we’ve had a few notable moments in how our music has translated especially in Britain some of the biggest and most viral hits of 2021 coming out of Nigeria especially, the push and support comes predominantly from the diaspora.
Nigerians are one of the largest groups of migrants and regardless of migrating across the borders or being born in the UK, the Nigerian diaspora remain proud of their culture and are enthusiastic about all things Nigerian, especially afrobeats and its artists, which has allowed the culture to remain embedded within them. Over a decade ago when we saw the likes of D’Banj breaking the UK charts at number nine with Oliver Twist and Fuse ODG receiving two top tens with Antenna and Million Pound Girl, for the diaspora it was a proud moment to be Nigerians and for the British music scene they may have not understood the lyrical content but were amused by the vibrant sound and dances that broke the charts.
Before the rise of the popular social media app TikTok, the likes of Antenna and Azonto were dominating the British music scene, resulting in dance challenges going viral in raves, school playgrounds and The Big Clash university game show. The rise of Afrobeats in the diaspora allowed sub genres to exist, especially Afroswing to exist, thus birthing some of our favourite artists. The first experience I had with Afroswing was Timbo on the chorus of Movers track Ringtone, the song still remains a heavy hitter in the clubs. Afro swing gave a space for the diaspora to truly exist and feel comfortable, especially if you couldn’t speak your home language. It celebrates the abundance of differences that inherently make up Black British culture that gave the likes of NSG and Jhus to borrow sounds from across Africa.
The support and celebration around Afroswing allowed us residing in the UK to appreciate artists from back home. I must give honourable mentions to the big three: BurnaBoy, WizKid and Davido, as they have led the face of contemporary African music for the last few years. They’ve managed to sell out the same arenas as some of our biggest UK and international acts, collaborate with some of the world's biggest stars, headline festivals and build a strong fan base across the Globe.
The artists mentioned above paved the way and created space for the new kids: Rema, Ruger, Tems, Ckayy, 1daBanton, Aarya Starr, Bnxn and Fireboy DML whose virality took them to the next level in 2021. The relevance and influence of TikTok plays in the acceptance of afrobeats can not be dismissed. From comedy sound usage to sketches and dance routines, the video app has connected people all over the world and bypasses the traditional music industry gatekeepers. Virtuality and online streaming platforms have eliminated the existence of distance and has allowed the world to appear smaller, which has connected people more with the music and made Afrobeats more accessible.
The explosion of dance routines and comedy skits on TikTok demonstrates that language is no barrier. With the likes of CKay - Love Nwaniti or 1da Banton - No Wahala, TikTok has helped millions of people both domestically and internationally recognise the joy in listening to afrobeats.
TikTok has been able to bring joy to afrobeats. TikTok is a testament to how by click of a button you can have a viral hit and unlock stardom for artists, currently we have Raybekah Ex-boyfriend with over 60K creations on TikTok, which started by her uploading the sound independently on TikTok. I strongly believe for artists coming out of Africa, technology has allowed space for the world to really hear and connect with the music.
The access to TikTok has allowed the music to travel across borders, with Nigeria having one of the largest youth populations in the world. Although the nation may not be able to afford streaming services, they can create masses of videos on TikTok allowing a sound to spread like wildfire and for more cultural impact than revenue increase. An example of this would be Central Cee - Obsessed With You having more streams than Wizkid feat. Tems – Essence. I throw this example in for the music executives that want a quick money scheme when buying african records from artists. With very little investment into the streaming infrastructure in West Africa, buying records will leave you at a loss. Financial investment is not substantial as Afrobeats is a culture bigger than music.
As a genre Afrobeats has risen in popularity and claimed its place as a party starter, whether it’s the production, the joyous lyrical content and the irresistible groove the genre is undoubtedly one of West Africa’s most precious gifts to the world. The cultural impact will continue to rise and I am excited to see how and where we can take it…