Afrobeats didn’t go global overnight. It took two decades of hits, diaspora DJs, streaming and a few landmark records. Here are the moments that mattered.
2000s: the foundations
Artists like 2Baba (then 2face Idibia), whose “African Queen” became a continental anthem in 2004, and P-Square built a pan-African pop audience. Labels and producers in Lagos and Accra started shaping a sound that mixed hip-hop and R&B with West African rhythm.
Early 2010s: the London connection
D’banj’s “Oliver Twist” broke into the UK top 10 in 2012. In London, DJs and the diaspora turned clubs and pirate radio into a launchpad, and “afrobeats” became the umbrella term.
2016: “One Dance”
Wizkid’s feature on Drake’s “One Dance” put an afrobeats sensibility at the top of charts worldwide, and Wizkid became one of the first Nigerian artists to sign a major international deal.
2019 to 2021: the big albums
Burna Boy’s African Giant (2019) earned a Grammy nomination, and his follow-up Twice as Tall won Best Global Music Album in 2021. That same night, Wizkid won a Grammy for his feature on Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”. Wizkid’s Made in Lagos (2020) and its hit “Essence” with Tems, later remixed with Justin Bieber, crossed over to US radio.
2022 to 2023: global hits
Rema’s “Calm Down”, especially the remix with Selena Gomez, became one of the most-streamed songs in the world. Tems co-wrote and was featured on Future’s Grammy-winning “Wait for U”. Burna Boy sold out London Stadium.
2024: the Grammys respond
The Recording Academy launched a new category, Best African Music Performance. Its first winner was South Africa’s Tyla with the amapiano-pop hit “Water”, a sign of how far African pop had come.
What’s next
The sound keeps changing: amapiano log drums, alté experiments, Afro-R&B and Afro-drill are all pushing it forward. The world is listening, and the next chapter is being written right now.
