Long before the advent of streaming platforms and modern studio booths, African music resonated across the continent like a heartbeat. From palm-wine courts and beer parlours to bustling village squares, its rhythms echoed through everyday life. Today, these homegrown sounds took over the airwaves in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and beyond. Rooted in tradition and rich in storytelling, African music broke borders in the 20th century and have continues to command global attention. OLAITAN GANIU writes.
From the expressive cadence of the talking drum in Yoruba towns, to the djembe of the Mandé people and the sacred Bata rhythms used in Orisha worship, African musical instruments did not merely produce sound, they spoke. They conveyed news, summoned spirits, celebrated births and mourned the dead.
“The music of Africa is a big sound: it’s the sound of a community,” Afrobeat legend, late Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti once expressed.
The indigenous music were, in every sense, an archive of African memory passed down through generations, not in books but in beats.
For Ghanaian ethnomusicologist, Prof. Kwesi Owusu, African music is not just a sound, it’s spiritual. “African music is not just sound. It is history, medicine, politics, and spirituality wrapped in rhythm,” he said.
Yesteryears, that spirit was lost in the global music industry, as Western music gatekeepers and international record labels tagged music of Africa as ‘too local’. But that was when the eyes were dark; now, the tide has turned.
“People said I wouldn’t make it by singing in my language. But music is spirit. It transcends words.” Beninese-French singer cum global icon, Angélique Kidjo said after being advised to abandon her native tongue in music.
Cracking the glass ceiling
The first visible fracture came in 1968 when South African trumpeter, Hugh Masekela stormed the Billboard Hot 100 with the Jazz album entitled, ‘Grazing in the Grass.’ In his compositions, Masekela championed anti-apartheid sentiments and preached peace among Africans countries.
“Whatever you go into, you have to go in there to be the best,” Masekela said of his feat after his recordings was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“There’s no formula. It’s all about passion, honesty and hard work. It might look glamorous, but it takes a lot of hard work.”
Before then, in 1966, Miriam Makeba affectionately dubbed ‘Mama Africa’ had become the first African artist to win a Grammy Award. Her haunting melodies and revolutionary posture made her a global voice for the voiceless.
Speaking on her struggle in the music industry, Makeba said “They banned my songs, but not my spirit. I sang for freedom, not fame.”
The momentum carried by next-gen
By 2015, African sounds had expanded far beyond its West African origins, driven by irresistible club bangers, international collaborations and a dynamic sound that fused indigenous rhythms with global musical influences.
In 2016, Ojuelegba-born juggernaut, Wizkid rewrote Nigerian music history by featuring on Canadian rapper Drake’s ‘One Dance,’. The song, which has components of Afrobeats and dancehall, went on to top global charts.
The song became a symbol of pride for Black folks both home and abroad.
“They said Afrobeat could never cross over. I told them, watch me,” Wizkid said defiantly.
A few years later, Wizkid followed up with a track titled ‘Essence,’ featuring Tems. The body of work became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 without an international feature.
On his part, Burna Boy was making seismic moves. The self-proclaimed ‘African Giant’ became the first Nigerian solo artist to win a Grammy for Best Global Music Album with ‘Twice As Tall’ in 2021.
“We’re not crossing over, we’re taking over,” Burna Boy said after winning the award. “There were nights I slept on studio floors with no food. People called Afrobeat noise. Now they’re dancing to it.”
By 2023, he had headlined Madison Square Garden and performed at the UEFA Champions League Final. First for any African artist.
The same year, Afropop singer, Rema joined Spotify’s Billion Streams Club, with his hit song titled, ‘Calm Down’, a cross-continental collaboration with Selena Gomez.
As of this month, the track has clocked over 1.3 billion streams, the highest ever for an African song.
“This isn’t just a win for me,” Rema said in an interview, “it’s a win for African kids with big dreams and small chances.”
The digital Tsunami: Africa unfiltered
The democratisation of music through platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Audiomack, Apple Music, Tiktok and others, has flattened the playing field. Artistes no longer need an international label or agent. Viral success now emanates from Lagos, Limpopo and Nairobi; and could echo across the globe overnight.
The case of South African DJ and singer, Master KG, is a perfect example. His hit ‘Jerusalema’ featuring Nomcebo Zikode, a hypnotic blend of gospel and Amapiano, became the unofficial soundtrack of the pandemic.
The song, which spawned dance challenges across continents, garnered over 600 million YouTube views.
“I was just making music in my room. One day, the world was dancing to it,” said Master KG.
Similarly, Nigerian singer CKay turned heartbreak into history with ‘Love Nwantiti’. The track topped Shazam and Spotify global charts in 2021.
“They said my sound was too emotional. But emotions are universal,” CKay expressed.
32-year-old Afrobeat star, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke added to the feather after featuring on the FIFA World Cup soundtrack in 2022. He was the first Nigerian to do so.
Then cameTyla, South Africa’s breakout pop star. In 2024, she won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for her viral single ‘Water’.
Tems also clinched her second Grammy, this time for ‘Love Me JeJe’, a sultry reinterpretation of Seyi Sodimu’s ’90s classic.
Recently, Nigerian vocalist, Ayra Starr, the celestial voice behind the song ‘Rush’ was named Best International Act at the BET Awards. This solidifies Africa’s stranglehold on global music consciousness.
Global recognition: A seat at the table
With the global appetite for African music swelling, industry giants are finally responding. Three years ago, Billboard, an American music and entertainment magazine, introduced the U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart in partnership with Afro Nation, a step in legitimising African crossover hits.
The music company recently followed up with the launch of Billboard Africa in corporation with Global Venture Partners to promote African music to the world.
“African music isn’t a trend, it’s a global force,” said Josh Wilson, Managing Director of GVP. “Billboard Africa is where the world meets Africa’s creative energy.”
At Billboard’s Global Power Players Gala, Tems was recognised alongside music legends like Sir Elton John, Ghazi Shami among others.
“Being African and a musician is a whole new world,” Tems reflected in her acceptance speech. “Billboard didn’t just support African music, they embraced our culture.”
Legacy of African heroes lives on
Even as new generation of hitmakers dominates charts, the foundational works of Africa’s musical forebears remain sacred.
Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Angélique Kidjo, Ali Farka Touré, Sir Victor Uwaifo, E.T. Mensah, Youssou N’Dour and Osibisa among others, built the bridges today’s artistes now cross.
Their influence echoes through time. In the polyrhythms of Amapiano, in the spiritual cadence of North African maqams and in the soul of Afrobeats, highlife, Fuji, Juju, Makossa and others .
As Billboard Africa’s incoming editor Nkosiyati Khumalo aptly summarised, “The future of music is African. And that future is now.”
Other music icons who paved the way include Onyeka Onwenu, Koffi Olomidé, Sikiru Adepoju, Osibisa, Soweto Gospel Choir, Ebenezer Obey, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Mulatu Astatke, Lekan Babalola, Toumani Diabaté, D’banj, Umm Kulthum.
This is not excluding 2Baba, Sound Sultan, Olamide, Asake, Tiwa Savage, the list continues.
