AFROBEAT

Listening to gbona by burna boy (go check it out if you are into afro beats, or want to to explore a new genre of music). I am writing with nothing particular in mind...just improvising. And probably this might fall under the shit-post category, but what do I care?! I'm nodding my head and feeling the rhythm of the massive tune. If you're not from around the west Africa region you might not understand some of the lyrics to the song, with is a fusion of pidgin (which is the lingua franca of Nigerians. A mixed of English and our local dialect) and yoruba.

Here is a link to the song:

Maybe I should talk about Afrobeat a little. Well it's the hottest thing happening to music right now coming from Africa, and the best thing happening to Nigerians at the moment because it helps us stay on our feet as we dance our sorrows away. One thing that brings Nigerians together is music. We are people who love to have a good time despite the many issue we have collectively.

The origin of Afrobeat is usually a cause for debate . Some say it originated in Nigeria, others say Ghana. Well, we can settle for the fact that the genre originated in West Africa and was made famous by the legend, Fela Kuti, who wasn't just a prolific musician but also a social/political activist who used his music to fight against a corrupt politician system in Nigeria. You really do need to check out Fela's live performances, they are electricifying, especially his dancers who I am going to on sometime later.

source

Afrobeat is a fusion of highlife, fuji, and jazz. The rhythm can be a bit pacey at times, but the sound I'm listening to at the moment is soft and danceable. A mixture of very melodious musical instruments like the shekere, African drums, the bass guitar, and a couple other instruments.

Asides petroleum, which is Nigeria's major export, afro beat has travelled to every part of the world, with our artistes touring the world and making a name for themselves. Amongst the popular afrobeats artistes from Nigeria are WizKid, Davido, and Burna Boy (these are my favourite, Burna Boy most especially).

Another point worth noting, there are contrary views on the definition of Afrobeat. One of such popular argument is the distinction between afrobeat and afobeats-- which many deem to be mainstream African pop music which is been popularised by artistes like D'banj, wizKid, and the likes. I also agree with this argument. If you truly want to get a feel of afrobeat then you should listen to Fela Kuti first if all. That way you can detect his unique sound which is been infused into the African pop music.

So now you know something about afrobeat. If you enjoyed reading this article please upvote/resteem. Thank you.

Reference

• https://www.pulse.ng/buzz/afrobeat-vs-afrobeats-confusing-contemporary-african-popular-music-with-fela-s-purist-genre-id5029009.html

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrobeat

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