Senegalese-American singer Akon has spoken about how he contributed to the creation of the Afrobeats genre.
He claimed that his collaborations and partnerships with Nigerian artists and music executives in the late 2000s to 2010s gave birth to what is now known as Afrobeats.
The Konvict Muzik boss recalled working with Wizkid, Banky W, P-Square, D’banj and other Nigerian musicians years before the ‘Afrobeats to the World’ movement gained momentum.
Speaking in a recent interview with Sherri, Akon said, “2008 was my last official album, which was the ‘Freedom’ album. And then I was producing the music for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. From there, I went to Nigeria. What we created in Nigeria was what you see now and hear now as Afrobeats.
“Wizkid was the first [Nigerian] artiste that we signed back in 2008. We went to work with him and Banky W in Nigeria. From there, we just started developing artists like PSquare, Dbanj and others.”
On his role as one of the pioneering modern pop stars from Africa who brought the continent’s music to the global stage, the Senegalese singer said, “It [opening the global door for African music] is the role God put me in. I just feel like I am a beacon to somebody’s success. I don’t know who it is going to be but everything we have touched so far has been really successful. And I’m appreciative for that.”
