Meet Alabama Georgia, The Talking Drum Ambassador Who Made Afrobeats Vibrate

You know the beat. You know the songs.

Think of Adekunle Gold’s Rodo, the vibrant pulse driving Simi’s biggest hits, or the cultural rhythm grounding Asake’s historic Tiny Desk performance. What do these massive tracks have in common? One man: Babatunde Alaba, better known as Alabama Georgia, the Ambassador of African Drum.

He’s not just a percussionist, he is the unsung genius who revolutionized how the talking drum (Gangan) is used in modern music, transforming it from a traditional asset into the undisputed centerpiece of Afrobeats. He is truly an Ambassador of African Drum

The Genius Who Made Tradition The New Trendy

For two decades, since he first picked up the instrument at age ten, Alabama Georgia has been on a mission. While the talking drum was once often confined to traditional settings, his genius came from a simple, powerful idea that the talking drum could speak the language of any music genre.

This isn’t just about playing a rhythm; it’s about making the drum talk and blend seamlessly into the high-energy, contemporary sounds of Afrobeats. This unique skill is why top producers from P.Priime, Pheelz, Oscar, Sessbeat, TeeYmix, Masterkraft, and DJ Coublon to Gospelondebeat call him their secret weapon. He’s the Number One Talking Drummer globally, repping the Yoruba culture and African rhythm on international stages.

The Guardian of The Hit List

When we talk about the hits that pushed Nigerian music onto the world map, Alabama’s beat is often right there. He has worked on over 35+ hit songs and counting, and his catalog reads like an Afrobeats hall of fame.

He is the indispensable go-to talking drummer who has collaborated with superstars including: Asake, Davido, Adekunle Gold, Simi, Teni, Falz, Yemi Alade, Pheelz, Chidinma, Darey Art Alade, Oshamo (driving the iconic percussion behind SuperFuji Gobe) and many more. His influence is woven into the DNA of hit songs  like Adekunle Gold’s Rodo, Ire, Orente, Money,  Simi’s Jamb Question, Ayo, Tiff,  Teni’s Uyo Meyo, For You (featuring Davido).

Most recently, he cemented his legacy by becoming the first-ever talking drummer to perform on the NPR Tiny Desk series alongside superstar Asake, showcasing Africa’s authentic sound on a global platform.

Alabama’s impact doesn’t stop in the studio. His rhythms have entered Nigeria’s daily consciousness; he is the creative force behind memorable, percussion-driven brand jingles for major companies like Goldberg Beer, Airtel Data, Maggi, and Peak Milk.

He has also served as the lead percussionist on MTN Project Fame for over a decade,, shaping countless young talents. His drum skills and improvisation ingenuity have taken him on tours across the USA, Canada, the UK, South Africa, and throughout Europe, always demonstrating the powerful contemporary relevance of African percussion traditions.

Alabama Georgia proves that innovation doesn’t require abandoning your roots. In fact, he shows that sometimes, the most revolutionary sound is the one that was there all along, waiting for a creative genius to give it a global voice