Afrobeats, which introduced African music to the Western mainstream, has become a worldwide sensation in the past ten years. Performers like Burna Boy and Wizkid can sell out huge venues in the US and Europe, and the MTV Video Music Awards now have an Afrobeats category.
Even though a lot of African musicians have been able to capitalize on the genre’s global appeal, some are currently vying for recognition outside of its borders.
According to Ghanaian singer King Promise, “I will not mind if you call me an Afrobeats artist, but it is only because it is become the yardstick for all Africans making global music,” news reporter Larry Madowo reported.
In the worldwide soundscape, popular music from Africa in recent years has been broadly categorized as Afrobeats.