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African music has long been the world’s foremost repository of movement-inducing beats. In a part of the world that’s as diverse and brimming with talent as Africa is, you can expect to find some of the most exciting music there. And once every so often, the world’s spotlight shines on a gem of a local scene that steals and hijacks the hips of everyone who hears the music.
Right now, that spotlight is on Afrobeats. Coming from the West African region and the country of Nigeria, it’s taken the world by storm, led by artists such as Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy. Oluwaseun Lloyd, also known as Banko in the music scene, has been a key participant in the genre’s development for the past decade. With extensive experience in the music industry, Lloyd executive produced Davido’s Timeless album, which has garnered three Grammy nominations this year.
Lloyd explains that the success of artists from the scene, such as Davido, was grounded in the culture they all came from.
“We all come from a fusion background because, before Afrobeats became the top music genre locally, it was hip hop and R&B. A lot of artists grew up listening to that,” Lloyd explains. “So what is happening now is the fusion, and that’s why sometimes, a musician from the West could pick up an Afrobeats song and easily love it.”
But even though the groundwork was there, it took a lot of work from local talent for Afrobeats to flourish the way it does today. And the local talent involved weren’t only the artists — they were producers, too, as well as music executives such as Oluwaseun Lloyd.
