Wow!
What a time to be alive!
A long time ago,
No one cared,
No one paid attention,
No one truly understood.
We could barely be proud of what we had as a people, we were seen as inferior. Many Nigerian immigrants struggled with their identity, having to hide who they were, and denying their roots, because our culture was not popular. The stories about African countries, especially Nigeria were not favourable in the 20th century, “Our music was not cool” and our people didn’t have the best presentation or should I say proper representation whenever the culture had the chance to experience the limelight.
But today, the story has changed;
Our songs are topping the billboard charts.
Our artists are shutting down venues across the world.
Our artists are getting signed by some of the biggest record labels in the world.
Our artists are winning all kinds of awards, the Grammys, is ours for the taking.
Several music creatives and executives from our endowed continent are working with some of the biggest music companies thanks to the gospel of Afrobeat and it seems like it is not just our music that is getting the representation it deserves, but other sectors are being blessed by this.
Our movies are topping the streaming sites.
Our fashion is getting the wider exposure it needs.
And even our art is getting attention too.
The way we’ve been sweeping everywhere and offering the goodness of Afrobeats makes me believe that we are on a roll.
And from all indications, as Burna Boy would say, it seems like we’re sitting on top of the world but there lies the issue. Yes, you heard me right and this is no hate or cap.
Will this favour us in perpetuity?
This is my biggest fear and I know many people may think or see me as a killjoy but the truth has to be said.
We should not lose focus of certain things and in this piece, I am really going to break it down, in as much as I am happy with how far we’ve come, I am scared of what the future holds if we don’t take or put in place the right measures, so walk with me.
We have witnessed the major music waves that have graced the globe for more than thirty years, from the Golden Age of hip-hop, the Reggae movement, the R&B flames, the Makossa craze, the Azonto fiesta and now the Afrobeats crusade.
One thing they all have in common is that they come and go. In some cases achieve mainstream dominance and be the rave for that particular point in time. Sometimes if the genre is lucky, it could enjoy a lifespan of 5 – 10 years, which in my opinion is not bad for any artist or music group. But in this case, this could be detrimental to the gospel and growth of Afrobeats.
Especially now, even though we are making progress in this fight and the recent creation of the ‘Best African Music Performance’ category at the Grammys is a big step in the right direction. We should not stop there, we need to do more and ensure that our music transcends to a primary music genre, not a secondary one.
What does this mean for the indigenous music markets in Africa, what plans are we making to put in place structures for events, how do we grow the industry better, how do we make more homegrown stars, how do we commercialise our music to the fullest and are we even consuming our music well?
We need to take charge and own the narrative on Afrobeats before we lose the saddle on this culture-defining moment in time. We need to get our industry into a proper standardized state, get our gatekeepers on board, establish and own our streaming sites and seek more equitable investors.
It is our time to take our place at the table, which was for a long time denied to us and if we feel unsatisfied with our place at the table we should go create ours, as no validation is worth our peace of mind.
We should work at owning it all music, art, movies, platforms, awards, technology, media, fashion, endorsements, lifestyle, entertainment, social media and more. This is how we take charge of our destiny because it’s in our hands.
Afrobeats to the world.
The dark side of Afrobeats to the world. pic.twitter.com/NTWTNmjTcD
— Joey Akan (@JoeyAkan) June 22, 2023