What is Afrobeats? What is its history? How has it evolved? How is it currently categorised? Answers to these questions can be found in Journey of the Beats.
By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku
In August, Billboard published a staff list of “The 50 Best Afrobeats Songs of All Time”. Expectedly, the list triggered conversations. What song can be classified as Afrobeats, and what song cannot? How much influence did recency bias have on the list? What songs ought to make the list, and what songs have no place on it? And what standing does an American music and entertainment magazine have to decide what songs are the greatest to come out of an African genre?
African publications have begun to respond with their own lists. But to appreciate any of these lists, home-based or foreign, it would certainly help to appreciate the genre itself. What is Afrobeats? What is its history? How has it evolved? How is it currently categorised? Answers to these questions can be found in Journey of the Beats, a 2022 Showmax Original documentary series produced by Obi Asika, a Nigerian music executive, cultural entrepreneur, Founder of the iconic Storm Records, and the current Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture.
A ten-episode docuseries, Journey of the Beats traces the origins of Afrobeats, from the transatlantic slave trade through the Nigerian-Biafran War, landmark cultural moments like FESTAC ’77, and into today’s global ‘Afrobeats to the World’ era.
Historians, musicians, DJs, artiste managers, cover art illustrators, and music business executives, both veteran and current, tell the story of one of Africa’s most popular genres, mostly from memory, but also with visual aids like video clips, album covers, and images.
Asika’s docuseries really does take us on a journey, exploring not only the multiple genres that paved the way for modern day Afrobeats—from African genres like Highlife, Juju and Afrobeat, to foreign genres like Funk, Disco, Pop, Reggae and Hip-Hop—but also the mediums through which music could be accessed and published, and the hotspots where music could be freestyled, developed and enjoyed.
Journey of the Beats dedicates an episode (episode 7) to the nomenclature of the genre, highlighting the difference between Afrobeat and Afrobeats on one hand, and capturing the debate surrounding Afrobeats as a distinct genre on the other hand. A common thread is Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the creator of Afrobeat itself, and how Fela’s music influences every generation of Afrobeats. But a major talking point is Afrobeats as a culture, from language to dance to fashion.
It must be mentioned that before the release of Journey of the Beats, there was Afrobeats: The Backstory (2021), a twelve-part docuseries by Ayo Shonaiya (who also features in Journey of the Beats). It has been credited as the first documentary to document the general history of Afrobeats. Unfortunately, Afrobeats: The Backstory is no longer available on Netflix, where it premiered, as the docuseries was not renewed by Netflix. Hopefully, Afrobeats: The Backstory will find a new home that can always be visited, but valuable insights can definitely be gleaned from its counterpart on Showmax.
Runtime: 8 hours
Journey of the Beats is available to stream on Showmax.
Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku is a writer, film critic, TV lover, and occasional storyteller writing from Lagos. She has a master’s degree in law but spends most of her time watching, reading about and discussing films and TV shows. She’s particularly concerned about what art has to say about society’s relationship with women. Connect with her on X @Nneka_Viv