Afrobeats in the 1960’s not only was entertaining music but served
as a political movement under its most prominent artist Fela Kuti. Today, there
are some political facets to Afrobeats though it is less political as the new
generation of musicians want to focus more on pride and appealing to a broader
audience. Nigeria’s various political parties have strayed the young artists
from voicing their political opinion in order to keep a larger audience.
Neutrality is important to keep the music broad and fun, regressing it to a
party music with more modern musical elements as opposed to its more political-centric
origin.
However, Fela Kuti's sons, Seun and Femi Kuti, have taken the torch and are also political activists against corrupted African governments.
Seun Kuti: Rise
They use the genre to voice their opinion and spread awareness over the issues that affect their society. Listening to a couple of Afrobeats songs I
can definitely hear how very upbeat and lively the music is. The videos are
also about everyday themes like love and relationships like Tiwa Savage’s song “Eminado”.
The song “Skelewu” by Davido is an example of the more modern generation with a
main focus on party.
Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/nigerias-afrobeats-redefining-the-sound-of-africa
Tiwa Savage: Eminado
Davido: Skelewu
-Leslie Hoyos
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