Long before Westernization, labels, and genres —rich, original African music existed. Passed down from generations through decades of history in sound and musical instruments, these elements eventually created the foundation for Afrobeats as we know it today. Characterized by heavy pulsating rhythms, accompanied by a fusion of African percussion instruments alongside contemporary musical elements, creating a rich, multi-layered musical texture.
Now a globally popularized genre, the impact of Afrobeats as a genre, extends beyond the music and the art, into a cultural export that has influenced and affected lives. From revolutionizing collaborations, shaping dreams, and creating a pipeline for younger artists to become global superstars, the influence is immeasurable. Spotify’s entry into the African market helped open the genre to a wider audience, with its audience base of 551 million users. According to Spotify’s data, Afrobeats streams on the platform have increased by about 550% since 2017, with a notable point being the platform recognizing Afrobeats as a genre and category. Spotify has also helped to promulgate the idea that music and performing arts can become active generators and contributors to national economies, with Nigerian artists earning about 11 billion naira on the platform alone in 2022.
In its role of championing and platforming Afrobeats, the global music streaming platform is hosting a celebratory event, to highlight the history, journey, and impact of Afrobeats from zero to a billion streams.
Afrobeats: A Journey of a Billion Streams is a comprehensive guide to understanding the incredible world of Afrobeats. The site is attractively designed with vibrant colors that symbolize the boisterous essence of African music. To extensively illustrate the evolution and success of the genre, it has been divided into sections dedicated to different essential components. It begins with a timeline of the genre, specifically highlighting pivotal moments that have shaped the trajectory over the years. The key moments include the inception of legendary record label, Kennis Music by Kehinde ‘Kenny/Keke’ Ogungbe and Dayo ‘D1’ Adeneye who were instrumental in shifting the possibilities of profitability within the industry. It then tracks the release of record-breaking songs like Fuse ODG’s Antenna, Wizkid, and Drake’s One Dance to sold-out stadium concerts abroad and Grammy nominations.
Although the timeline is displayed in bite sizes, the website offers long-form content that explores the origin, evolution, fusion of genres, and the global success of Afrobeats with the use of well-researched articles, pictorial elements, and interviews with some of the industry giants like Obi Asika, Sarz, Seyi Shay as well as the everyday person on the street. The project is a deep dive into the world of Afrobeats, drawing connections between its relationship with its African roots as well as influences from foreign elements. Its robust content ensures that a full picture is created and the uniqueness of Afrobeats is evidenced through decades of evolution. In a separate column titled “Women Of Afrobeats”, the project draws attention to the critical contributions made by women in the industry. The column traces the impact of old-school female artists like Weird MC, Sasha P, Mo’Cheddah, Tiwa Savage, and new-school artists including Ayra Starr, Amaarae, and so on. This distinction creates a space for female artists to thrive, separate from the otherwise male-dominated environment that is the Nigerian music industry.
At its core, Afrobeats: A Journey of a Billion Streams is a documentation of the strides Afrobeats has garnered over the last couple of years. With this, Spotify has exceeded the realms of being a mere streaming or distribution platform, to become a contributor to the archives being created about the genre. It is an addition to the incredible work journalists and storytellers on the African continent have been doing to document the journey.
As much as the website celebrates Afrobeats’ success, it is only one of the ways Spotify has supported the talents coming out of Africa. All over the world, the platform is revered for its ability to create playlists perfectly tailored to each listener. Tapping into this expertise and influence, Spotify has created multiple playlists with the sole aim of amplifying artists and connecting them to an audience. This has been made possible through their RADAR Africa playlists, which specifically spotlights up-and-coming artists, EQUAL Africa, championing women artists, and general playlists like African Heat.
To wrap up the celebration, Spotify is hosting an immersive, invite-only celebration on the 13th of October 2023, in Lagos, Nigeria. Giving a chance for selected Spotify users (we’ll be giving tickets out so keep an eye out) to party with their favorite Afrobeat superstars. The night promises to be an exciting celebration of beautiful music featuring performances by Ruger, Shallipopi, Fave, Bloody Civilian, Sarz, and the dynamic DJ duo—Maze x Mxtreme.
By taking a holistic overview of the influence of Afrobeats and its ripple effects in the years, Spotify is leaving no stone unturned in documenting and digitizing the evolution of the genre through its microsite. A huge chunk of Africa’s history has been lost through the years and cannot be recovered. Spotify is taking a step to ensure that Africa’s musical history is documented and preserved with digital footprints, by creating this rich digital archive of Afrobeats history.