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Why Drake and Chris Brown should thank Afrobeat

music

By: Duncan Effiom

Why Drake and Chris Brown should thank Afrobeat

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Afrobeat has consistently been taking over the global music industry by storm since its recognition as a credible and standard music genre. Afrobeat was pioneered by Fela Anikulapokuti in the early 1970s but the genre is now being modernized and taken global by new generation of afrobeat artistes such as Wizkid, Davido and Burna boy. Its recognition as a global music genre began to attract foreign artistes such as the likes of Drake and Chris Brown. While Drake and Chris Brown are not primarily known as Afrobeat artistes, they have both incorporated elements of Afrobeat into their music, and this has contributed to the global popularity of their songs and given their musical careers a massive boost.


Drake has been known to embrace diverse musical influences and collaborate with artists from different genres and regions. He has incorporated Afrobeat sounds in some of his tracks, such as "One Dance" featuring Kyla and Africa’s biggest artiste WizKid. The song became a massive hit, reaching number one on the charts in multiple countries. In the United States, "One Dance" spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Drake's first number-one single as the lead artist in the country. The song set streaming records, particularly on Spotify, where it became the platform's most-streamed song at the time with close to one billion streams on spotify. The Afrobeat influence, particularly with WizKid's contribution, added a unique flavor to the song and introduced Drake to a broader international audience. Till today, “One Dance” still remains Drakes biggest hit song of all time thanks to afrobeats.


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Similarly, Chris Brown has explored diverse musical styles throughout his career. In 2019, he collaborated with Nigerian artist Davido on the track "Blow My Mind," which also had elements of Afrobeat. This collaboration helped Chris Brown tap into the growing global appeal of Afrobeat and reach audiences in Africa and beyond. Chris Brown’s collaboration with Wizkid titled “Call Me Everyday” which was released in June, 2022 has garnered millions of streams across all digital music streaming platform and topped so many music chart making it one of Chris Brown’s most successful hit singles.


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Without mincing words, it is evident that Afrobeat as a musical genre helped propel Drakes and Chris Brown’s music career beyond their wildest dreams by connecting them with a wider and more diverse audience. It is safe to say that they would not have reached this level of tremendous success or height in their music career if not for their involvement in Afrobeat. The infusion of Afrobeat elements into their music not only expanded Drake and Chris Brown's fan base but also showcased their versatility as artists. It demonstrated a willingness to experiment with different sounds and collaborate with artists from around the world, contributing to the globalization of their music.