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Will Nigeria leave Afrobeats behind?

Candy Bleakz thinks the future is Street Pop.

Afrobeats originated in Nigeria and Ghana, starting to get popular in the 2010s. It’s generally seen as a blend of West African music styles with Western pop and rap.

Artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Rema, and Davido have gone global. TikTok and Youtube have played a big part in the genre’s popularity, so have collabs with people like Beyonce and Drake.

But some are turning away from Afrobeats. Burna Boy has said ‘there’s no substance’ to the genre, even though it’s ‘an amazing time’. Wizkid has said he doesn’t want to be labelled as ‘just Afrobeats’ and that he makes more genres of music. And Davido has said he prefers to be called Afrofusion. So what next?

Our ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ pal Faith Oshoko takes us through what the music scene is like in Lagos and and some of the history behind Afrobeats.

We also chat to Candy Bleakz, a rapper in Nigeria. She’s made Afrobeats tracks and is the only woman in the Street Pop genre. We sit down and chat through her inspirations and hopes for her music career and why people in Lagos make such good music.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producer: Alex Rhodes and Emily Horler
Editor: Verity Wilde

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13 minutes

Last on

Wed 31 Jul 2024 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 30 Jul 2024 17:50GMT
  • Wed 31 Jul 2024 02:50GMT

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