After Sandra Smith, a singer and former Black Panther, introduced Kuti to writings of many activists such as Martin Luther King Jr and Angela Davis, Fela changed from playing African music and incorporated Funk and Soul. Then, many African American jazz musicians have been attracted to Afrobeat. This had impacted producers and musicians like Brian Eno and David Bryne who credited Fela Kuti as an essential influence.

Even after Fela Kuti had passed away, his sons, Femi and Seun Kuti carried on their father's legacy. Femi took Fela's band, Africa 70 and rebranded it to Egypt 80. Songs like Know Better and Fire Dance were then released by them. (Richard Pallardy, 2023)

Songs usually have complex and repetitive rhythms. Afrobeat creates polyrhythmic patterns that are captivating by fusing traditional African percussion instruments with contemporary drum sets. It also contains lengthy instrumental passages and repeating patterns. This kind of arrangements allow musicians to improvise which is common in Afrobeat. (Sarah McCarthy, 2023)

Afrobeat has evolved from its distinct beat and song structure to a much more fluid style of music, which incorporates different genres to create new sounds. An artist we can use as an example is Wizkid. He is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, who is also known for working with Drake in the single “One Dance”. He released his first studio album Superstar in 2012 and his Made in Lagos album, in 2020.

These 2 albums have different bodies of work, “Superstar” had nostalgic, up tempo and catchy songs, “Made in Lagos” had more melodious songs with a softer tempo. This shows the fluidity afforded to artists within the current Afrobeat space. “Made in Lagos” shows his versatility as he explores the fusion between Afrobeat and other genres, like reggae and R&B. (Zainab Kuku, 2022)

For modern afrobeat, I like their accent and way of pronouncing certain words. It may sound melodic as it blends well with the music. There are more and more artists who are not from Africa but still follow their way of speaking and pronunciation. This may seem to me like the unique and distinctiveness of Afrobeat comparing to other music genres.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fela-Kuti

Afrobeat has played a significant role in empowering African culture and identity. For many years, Africa was often misrepresented or overlooked in mainstream media. However, afrobeat’s rise has brought about a renaissance in cultural representation. African artists proudly showcase their heritage through their music, fashion and visual aesthetics, challenging stereotypes and promoting diversity of African culture to the world. (Masterclass, 2021)

Many of the Afrobeat songs have music videos so this may attract more audience from around the world. Everyone has access to the music from wherever.

A famous movie that has a lot of Afrobeat songs in the soundtrack is Marvel’s Black Panther. The 19 track project features 40 international artists from Nigeria to South Africa. The album’s track featured Afrobeats artists including Burna Boy, Tems, Fireboy DML, Rema and Ckay. The producer of the album, Ryan Coogler mentioned that he wanted the songs to be connected to the story, to feel grief and celebration. (Anthony Udogba, 2022)

Getting access to traditional afrobeat songs is limited to physical records and live performances. Distribution of it was often between regions or reliant on importation. Technology and streaming platforms have made it easier for African stars to be discovered by global audiences. Since its launch in Nigeria in 2015, Boomplay Music has become Africa’s largest music streaming and download service with 75mn monthly active users and an impressive catalogue.

Afrobeat is constantly evolving till today. Whether it is traditional or modern afrobeat, it still deserves all the credits and praises. Although i believe that very few people from the younger generation will enjoy traditional afrobeat, they have to understand that without traditional afrobeat, there would not be modern afrobeat too. Like all the other world genres, it is always evolving and changing, so we have to cherish every single one of them.

To date, the most streamed song of all time is One Dance, an Afrobeat song by Drake with a cameo from Wizkid which has surpassed 2 billion streams on Spotify. This can show that Afrobeat artists can work well with American pop stars. (Garhe Osiebe, 2022)

Comparing to traditional afrobeat artists who are usually in bands, modern afrobeat artists mostly work alone. Examples can be Wizkid, Burna Boy and Ckay. Modern songs are also typically about romance or love, whereas traditional songs touched more on serious topics, like political and cultural related.

https://www.jazzhistorytree.com/afrobeat-1970/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/may/05/fela-kuti-10-best-songs

https://blog.pond5.com/80280-what-is-afrobeat-music/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/afrobeat-music-guide

https://republic.com.ng/nigeria/afrobeats-and-its-current-landscape/#:~:text=Afrobeats%20has%20evolved%20from%20its,which%20was%20released%20in%202020.

https://theconversation.com/from-nigeria-to-the-world-afrobeats-is-having-a-global-moment-179910

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https://businessday.ng/arts-and-life/article/afrobeats-artists-dominate-black-panther-wakanda-forever-

https://ominirainitiative.org/the-impact-of-digital-technology-on-africas-music-and-movies-industry/

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Www.premiumbeat.com. https://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-free/afrobeat

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Brass Instruments:

Trumpets, Saxophones, Trombones: Brass instruments play an important role in Afrobeat, this give the genre a more bold and solid sound.

Percussion:

Drums: Afrobeat features a variety of drums, including the drum kit, congas, bongos, and talking drums. The drumming usually has polyrhythmic patterns that gives a groovy feel.

Other percussion instruments like shekere,cowbell, claves, and agogô also adds to the rhythm section.

Guitars:

Electric Guitars: Electric guitars play a crucial role in Afrobeat, as it provides both rhythmic and melodic elements. However, guitar lines are mostly repetitive throughout the song.

Keyboards:

Electric Keyboards, Organ: Keyboards, including electric pianos and organs, it provides a harmonic structure to the song.

During 5 years from 1970 to 1975, Kuti's band established and performed while Afrobeat thrived among Nigerian youth. This led to the genre spreading throughout the African continent as many bands took up the style. (GigLifePro, 2022)

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https://giglifepro.com/articles/afrobeat

The production quality of modern afrobeat songs is also way better than traditional afrobeat. Many modern Afrobeat artists like Burna Boy bring a youthful and a dynamic burst of energy to their music and this may be appealing to younger audiences.