Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk[3][4]) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Yoruba music[5][6] and Ghanaian music (such as highlife),[7] with American funk, jazz, and soul influences.[5][8] With a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion,[9] the style was pioneered in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who popularised it both within and outside Nigeria. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers."[10]
Distinct from Afrobeat is Afrobeats, a combination of sounds originating in West Africa in the 21st century. This takes on diverse influences and is an eclectic combination of genres such as hip hop, house, jùjú, ndombolo, R&B, soca, and dancehall.[11][12][13][14][15][16] The two genres, though often conflated, are not the same.[12][13]
^Zeleza, Paul Tiyambe (2010). "Dancing to the beat of the diaspora: musical exchanges between Africa and its diasporas". African and Black Diaspora. 3 (2): 211–236. doi:10.1080/17528631.2010.481976.
^Tekena, Mark Gasper; Ochuba, Primrose (2022). "Fashion and music trends in the 21st century Nigeria". Journal of Creative Arts, Communication and Media Studies. 1 (1): 58–90.
^ abStewart, Alexander (2013). "Make it funky: Fela Kuti, James Brown and the invention of Afrobeat". American Studies. 52 (4): 99–118. doi:10.1353/ams.2013.0124.
^Waterman, Christopher A. (2010). "Yoruba popular music". The Garland Handbook of African Music. Routledge. pp. 198–215.
^Okyere, Kingsley K. (2024). "Ghanaianisms, Nigerianisms, and Afrobeats' Sonic Aesthetics". The Black Scholar. 54 (3): 19–29. doi:10.1080/00064246.2024.2364572.