Akon, the Senegalese-American singer, has argued that he contributed to the development of Afrobeats, the globally popular music genre originating from West Africa.
In a recent interview with American actress Sherri Shepherd, the ‘Smack That’ hitmaker claimed that his collaborations with Nigerian artistes in the late 2000s helped shape what is now recognised as Afrobeats.
Akon recalled that Wizkid was the first Nigerian artiste he worked with, followed by partnerships with Banky W, P-Square, and D’banj.
“…I was in Africa and time just flew past. 2008 was my last official album, which was the ‘Freedom’ album,” he said.
“And then I was producing the music for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. From there, I went to Nigeria. What we created in Nigeria was what you see and hear now as Afrobeats.
“Wizkid was the first Nigerian artiste that we signed back in 2008. We went to work with him and Banky W in Nigeria.
“From there, we just started developing artists like PSquare, Dbanj and others.”
Afrobeats has been one of Africa’s biggest exports for years. In 2023, the genre enjoyed massive global recognition, with Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy — among others — gracing the stages of some of the biggest events and occasions worldwide.
In August 2024, Buju Banton, one of the well-regarded artistes in Jamaican music, claimed that Afrobeats is influenced by reggae and dancehall.
The reggae icon also argued that the genre does not spotlight pressing socio-political issues or uplift the African people.
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