The Afrobeat Spotlight: Nico & Vinz

   There is no doubt that Africanisms can be seen in the modern day music; the use of polyrhythms, call and response (chorus and solo), group participation, etc. can be both heard on the radio and seen at almost any music concert.
  Nico & Vinz are two singers whose names are Nico Sereba, who is of Norwegian-Ivorian descent, and Vincent Dery, who is of Norwegian-Ghanaian descent. They first debuted in 2009 as 'Envy', but then changed their names to Nico & Vinz after their hit song 'Am I Wrong' in early 2014.
   In their music video, 'Am I Wrong', they portray the many different types of African terrain and environments (desert, savanna, and jungle). Not only that, but many different Africanisms can be heard in this song, such as polyrhythm, yelling/crying, and repetition. What is refreshing is that the lyrics aren't about a girl or how a guy's got game, but about the feelings and view of a man. The music video scenery of the many different faces of Africa was very educating and a nice touch to represent the Afrobeat genre that Nico & Vinz experiment in. Enjoy the music video down below!

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Fela Kuti

   Fela Anikulapo Kuti is probably considered to be the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre of music; as mentioned in the last entry, he is founder of the word 'Afrobeat'. Kuti has definitely kept in touch with his Nigerian roots and it can be both heard in his music and seen in his shows. 

  Kuti uses his songs more than as a way to share African music to the world, but also as a way to share political messages; it is noticeable in his song titles and his lyrics. "Zombie" was a song that Kuti composed and performed as a way to attack the Nigerian soldiers. It was named 'zombie' because that was how Kuti viewed the Nigerian soldiers to be, taking orders from the government blindly. The song resulted in him being severely beaten and his mother thrown out the window sustaining fatal injuries. 

   "Zombie" sounds very jazzy because of the heavy saxophone playing, but if you listen closely, you can hear some African instruments that are played, such as the native "tinker pan" African-style percussion, shekere (a dried gourd with beads), and the muted West African-style guitar. 

  Kuti is most definitely a unique musician in that he loves to fuse ancestral African style instruments and beats with modern instruments. He is a fighter, an activist, and a musician - all in all, he is just an awesome person who is worth checking out. Enjoy the music video for "Zombie" which is down below!

Afrobeats Infleunce In Other African Countries

Afrobeats originated in Nigeria and is most popular throughout West Africa. Listening to music from selected countries such as the Congo, Mali, Sudan, etc I noticed the difference in their sounds. Other countries are more cultural/traditional with their instruments and lyrics while Afrobeat today is all about the catchy beat and encompassing lyrics about women, the finer things in life, dancing, and having a good time.  Here are some examples of countries that have been influenced by Afrobeats:

Fuse ODG- "Million Pound Girl" (Ghana)

 

Togar Howard-"Basima Basima" (Liberia)

 

 

Maleek Berry ft Wizkid-"The Matter" (Nigeria)

 

Cabo Snoop- Windeck (Angola)

 

 

Afrobeats Influence On American Music

The first song that came to mind when thinking about Afrobeats influence on American music was Wale’s “My Sweetie". Many Africans are familiar with the old school song “Let Me Love You” by Bunny Mack (Sierra Leone) but Wale decided to put a spin on it by sampling it in his hit. For those who don’t know, Wale is a Nigerian-American rapper from Maryland/DC. He’s been in the industry since 2005 and is known for his clever puns.

Here's the original by Bunny Mack:

Here's Wale's:

Rick Ross was featured on P-Square’s single “Beautiful Onyinye” which caught me by surprise when I first heard it. That infamous "M-M-M-Maybach Music" let's you know it's official! After returning from Liberia, I thought that it meant that African music had finally gone mainstream and into America, which in some aspects it did.

Fally Ipupa is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is one of the most paid African musicians. He featured Oliva (you may remember her from G-Unit or “Candy Shop” with 50 Cent) on his single "Chaise Electrique". She was actually rumored to have dated Fally Ipupa and it seems like a nice song came out of that relationship.

Although not necessarily an Afrobeat influence on this, Beyonce’s “Run the World” definitely incorporated some African tradition. In fact, the opening dance that she performed was created by Tofo Tofo, a Mozambican kwaito dance group who she flew to the US to teach her the dance and to star in her music video.

Here's Tofo Tofo performing at a wedding:

And here they go in Beyonce's video:

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Fuse ODG

   Fuse ODG (Nana Richard Abiona) is a Ghana-descent British hip-hop and Afrobeats singer.The song, "Antenna", is very upbeat with a heavy and easy-to-follow rhythm. The song shot up to number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2013.
   The song has couple Africanisms that are utilized, such as a bit of polyrhythm, repetition, and improvisation (when Fuse doesn't sing with words but with vowel-like sounds, such as 'wayo ooo'). Though it has ancestral African elements in the song, the lyrics and the instruments used make it modern. The lyrics are about a girl and how she's making Fuse go crazy from her appeal; the content is very much like most hip-hop and rap songs we listen to in the U.S.
   It is a very catchy song that makes the people just want to tap or follow the rhythm without noticing, so Fuse ODG is definitely an artist to tune into if you're into Afrobeats and or Reggae. Below is a link to the Fuse's "Antenna" music video. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY-q7Bed6DU&list=PL7hDXb4m_ctR1MZawy_7aWBrQaTL29dV5&index=3

My Korean Roots: Africanisms in Kpop and Korean Hip-Hop

   Though I am an American-born citizen, I learned Korean first and so was more familiar with the Korean culture at an early age; plus, my parents were both born in Korea, so I was mostly exposed to Korean culture at home. So, naturally, I was more prone to listening to Korean music. I liked Kpop and hip-hop growing up because it was very upbeat and rhythmic, much like the elements that make up Afrobeat. 

   Afrobeat is a combination of Ghanaian and Nigerian music, which became popular in Africa in the 70s. It was Fela Kuti that coined the actual term 'Afrobeat' to describe this mix. Some Africanisms that are used in Afrobeat (polyrhythms, call-and-response, improvisation, and repetition) and used in many songs that we hear today, including Kpop. Though the language might be different, Kpop still utilizes many of the same elements as African music. 

   Gradually, as I started attending school, I became more interested in American music, but still gravitated towards hip-hop and pop. No matter what language or culture the music might be in, the musical techniques are the same; there's a chorus that's repeated couple times, there's the main singer who sings a question, for example, and then be answered by backup singers, etc. The Africanisms in Afrobeat can be seen in almost any type of music around the world. 

                                                                                                                                                  - Joy Kim 

Afrobeat’s New Generation and Politics

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

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/world/africa/afrobeats-music/

Tiwa Savage: Eminado

Davido: Skelewu

-Leslie Hoyos