Senegalese-American singer Akon has opened up about his role in the development of the Afrobeats genre.
He asserted that his collaborations and partnerships with Nigerian artists and music executives during the late 2000s and early 2010s played a key role in shaping what is now recognized as Afrobeats.
The Konvict Muzik founder reflected on working with Nigerian stars like Wizkid, Banky W, P-Square, D’banj, and others well before the global rise of the ‘Afrobeats to the World’ movement.
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During a recent interview on Sherri, Akon stated,
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 and hear now as Afrobeats.
Wizkid was the first [Nigerian] artist 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 P-Square, Dbanj, and others.
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Speaking further on his role as one of the early African pop stars to help elevate the continent’s music on the global stage, the Senegalese-born artist 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.
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