Afro-beat is a style of popular music incorporating elements of African music and jazz, soul, and funk. Before we get into the good music lets talk about the history behind the music. Fela Kuti was the inventor of Afro-beat and an inspiration to many. During his time, Kuti was the voice for his community in Abeokuta, Nigeria . He brought awareness to the Nigerian underclass through his music which soon resulted in him having to leave Nigeria because the military wasn't a fan of the topics he chose to compose his music on. To make matters worse, the Nigerian military harassed him, threw him in jail, and killed his 82-year-old mother. He resided in Ghana and returned to Nigeria in 1978. In 1979 he created the MOP (Movement of the People) and continued to give the military hell until the 90's. Unfortunately, Kuiti got really sick and gave the military what they wanted which was silence. Despite his illness, his label released songs that were already recorded until he passed in 1997. Fela will always have an impact on his community due to his voice. He fought for his people and was truly a hero for sacrificing his life for others. Check out one of Fela Kuti work here.
Before we get into the list, I know some of you are probably going to say why would I listen to music I don't understand ? I asked myself that same question until I came across artists who were speaking English and I still understood nothing. For an example, Young Thug, Desiigner, Future etc. However, I still groove to their songs because the beat is catchy. So, there are NO excuses on why you should not give this genre a chance. After all, some of it is in English and I know you will fall in love with the music. Now, let's get into this bomb list that consists of the hottest Afro-beats.
10. Legendury Beatz - LAFS ''Love At First Sight'' ft. Ceeza
Honestly, Legundary Beatz is killing the game right now. It behooves you to check out more of their music if you love good music. Enough of my opinion, Legundary Beatz consist of brothers Uzezi Oniko and Okiemute Oniko from Nigeria. They are signed under Starboy Entertainment which is Wizkid (one of the popular artists from Nigeria) record label. The duo also serves as the producers and co-writers for Starboy Entertainment. LAFS is one of their newer songs and the beat will really get you moving. Check it out here.
9. Dotman- Akube
Olatunji Oladotun Alade,known as Dotman, is one of the newer artists on the lock. He is from Nigeria and signed to U & I Music in 2014. Dotman attends the University of Lagos and has plans on obtaining a degree in Physics. He struggles with balancing music and school but he has definitely blessed our ears with a hit. Akube was produced in 2016 and one of Dotman best songs yet. Check it out here.
8. Dj Maphorisa ft. Wizkid & Dj Buckz- Soweto Baby
Themba Sekowe, known as Dj Maphorisa, is a South African producer. He is signed to his record label New Money Gang. Fun fact: He also co-produced One Dance by Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla. He collaborated with Wizkid and Dj Buckz on Soweto Baby which is one of the hottest singles. Wizkid is a Nigerian artist who is one of the popular artists associated to Afrobeats. Dj Buckz is a Nigerian producer who is also known for his collab with Ice Prince. Check out Soweto Baby here.
7. Sarkodie ft. Castro- Adonai (remix)
Sarkodie is an award winning Ghanaian rapper who is signed with Sarkcess Music. Sarkodie is one of the BEST rappers to come out of Ghana. His hard work and dedication speaks for itself and has paid off in the past years. Sarkodie has been nominated and won so many awards from MTV to BET. He collaborated with Castro who was also a Ghanaian artist before his death in late 2014. Check it out here.
6. BM- Ebebi
BM ( Bolia Mantundu) is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He obtained a degree in Music Technology in London. Since school, he started a band that ended up splitting which made BM switch to being a solo artist. Now he is one of the youngest artists who is on the come up. Check out Ebebi here.
5. Stonebwoy- Go Higher
Stonebwoy is a Ghanaian artist and CEO of Burniton Music Group. He is mostly known for his reggae style however, I think his style intertwines with Afropop and Afrobeat as well. He has won awards from Best New Artist to Best Reggae/Dancehall song in 2016. Go Higher is one of my favorite songs because from my understanding the song talks about people basically talking down on others and trying to tear them down, but they have to pray to continue to go higher in their life and be successful. Check it out here.
4. Oritse Femi ft. Davido- Sexy Ladies
Oritse Femi is a Nigerian artist who is signed to Money Stop Nonsense (MSN) Gang. He has received a couple awards within the past two years this includes the Most Popular Song of the Year Award. He collaborated with Davido who is also a well known Nigerian artist to produce this hot song in 2014. Check it out here.
3. Flavour- N.W.A Baby ( Ashawo remix)
I'm pretty sure I played this song out within the past 3 months. I absolutely love this song because the beat is crazy. Flavour is a Nigerian artist who is signed to 2nite Entertainment. He is also a well known artist in Nigeria however, his style is very different from the others. Flavour originally created a slower version of this song and recently made the remix to a fast beat. Check it out here.
2. Wande Coal ft. 2Face Idibia- Make You Mine
Wande Coal is a Nigerian artist who is signed to Black Diamond Entertainment. In my opinion, he is one of the most underrated artist from Nigeria. His recent album " Wanted" is one of those albums where you don't have to keep skipping songs. His album is truly amazing and deserves more a lot more recognition. Make You Mine is one of the songs on the album and he collaborated with 2Face Idibia who is a Nigerian singer. Check the song out here. Also, make sure you check out his album "Wanted". As a bonus, his song Amorawa ft. Burna Boy was one of the first songs that sparked my interest in Afrobeats so check that out here as well.
The moment we have all been waiting for...... I could not choose between these two songs for the number one spot ,so I decided to bless you all with my top two favorite Afro-beats currently.
1. Maleek Berry- Kontrol
Maleek Berry is a British born Nigerian artist and producer. He is signed to Starboy Entertainment as the in-house porducer. This song has been the biggest song of the year along with Ayo Jay- Your Number. This is tied for number because Berry has really out did himself with this one. Fro the beat to the lyrics he deserves plenty awards for his single. Check it out here.
1. Shaydee ft. Iyanya and A-Pass- High
Shaydee is an Nigerian artist who is signed to Empire Mates. He collabed with Iyanya who is also an Nigerian artist and A-Pass who is an Ugandan male artist. I must say they have really created a masterpiece. This is more of a love song but it is perfect for cooling down after jamming to the other upbeat songs. Check it out here.
Welp, this concluded my top 10 Afro-beats that you should listen to. If you didn't fall in love with this genre after listening to these 11+ songs or you want more good music, don't hesitate to ask for more. Enjoy !
