The massive success that Afrobeats has enjoyed, particularly in the last five to seven years that has brought in global collaborations and recognition, often masks the fact that it is a relatively young genre. The movement goes only as far back as 1999 in the urban pop format; even then, there wasn’t an agreement on the present name until around 2011. Yes, Afrobeats is influenced and borne out of several decades of highlife, Afrobeat, fuji and hip hop; but the flavour of today is young and ever-evolving.
At the same time, those 20+…
