Culture & Society
The Meaning of Aṣa Understanding the Ascension of a Singular Artist
Aṣa released her eponymous debut album in 2007 and has been a favourite of many Nigerians ever since, with fans across generations. Her most enduring feature has been the singularity, not only of her music, but also of the ways in which she has always held herself apart, even when the spotlight was at its brightest. Read More...
The Devil Works Hard but Asake Works Harder The Assiduous Ethic of Afrobeats Superstar Asake
YBNL Records latest signee, Asake, has proven to be a sure bet and Afrobeats fastest rising superstar. In less than two years, he has released two outstanding albums, sold out London’s O2 Arena and earned a Grammy Award nomination. Yet he shows no signs of slowing down. Read More...
Ayra Starr’s Transcendental Vision for Afrobeats How the Nigerian Superstar Is Blurring the Lines between Music and Global Pop Culture
Emerging into the African pop scene two years ago, Ayra Starr’s immersive records have won her the adulation of a constantly expanding fanbase. She is now embracing a wholesome experience of what it means to be a pop star in this age, branding and all things considered. Read More...
Narcissism and the Aggrieved Art of Burna Boy How Burna Boy Represents Afrobeats’ Growing Individualistic Ethos
Burna Boy’s discography and lived attitude to Nigerian audiences presents a local-global dialectic. His irreverence towards local fans and the narcissism that pervades his latest musical offering, I Told Them, are suggestive of a growing individualistic ethos within the Afrobeats collective. Read More...
A Cat With Nine Lives The Many Sides to Davido’s Longevity
The trope of grass to grace is not Davido-esque. Instead, Davido’s run so far has been from grace to grace. His interluding humbling moments cater in part to his resilient spirit, his persistence in the face of multiple adversities, and his eventual solid status in the arena of African creatives, and hordes of them, each one striving to assert their voice in Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Read More...
Mr Incredible The Resounding Verses of M.I Abaga
In a time when rap music in Nigeria was almost in a state of inertia, M.I Abaga, with a cohort of ‘Jos boys’, gave it life once again, this time, introducing an original aesthetic that transformed the sound of Nigerian rap. Read More...
You Had To Be There The Beautiful Thing About P-Square
Twenty years since the Nigerian twin band, P-Square, released its first studio album, the beautiful thing about P-Square’s songs is how they take you back to where you were when you first heard them. Read More...
From Moral Panic to Water and Garri Tiwa Savage within a Globalized Afrobeats Climate
Against the backdrop of a misogynistic society, Tiwa Savage’s long-term success—as a woman who creates Nigerian popular music—is an anomaly, and such success has not been without backlash. Read More...
Big Wiz How Wizkid Became the Paragon of African Music’s Golden Age
From local to global stardom, Wizkid has established himself as a preeminent star, with a footprint unmissable in the sands of Nigerian music. As Afrobeats continues to coast into and conquer new territories, Wizkid has established himself as an artist whose immense talent and star power helped connect Nigerian music to the rest of the world. Read More...
‘I Had to Sink Into Various Forms of Culture for Inspiration’ Christian Adofo’s First Draft
Ghanaian writer, Christian Adofo, had to sink into various forms of culture to get inspiration and build context for his book. Read More...
