Afrobeats is a true global 21st Century sound. A catchy blend of house, dancehall and hip-hop with its roots in African styles like highlife and Jùjú music, it emerged from Ghana and Nigeria in the mid-2000s, and in the hands of breakout artists like Wizkid and Burna Boy has spread to diaspora communities across the world.
In particular, the sound has laid down deep roots in the UK, where artists like NSG, Sneakbo and Kojo Funds have intermingled the sound with homegrown rap to create genres like Afro bashment and Afro swing. In turn, the UK’s appreciation for Afrobeats has seen a growing unity between UK and international artists – in a recent interview with Julie Adenuga, Burna Boy called the UK his ‘second home’, while a growing list of link-ups prove that the lines of communication between Britain and Africa have never been clearer.
Here are eight standout recent collaborations pairing up UK and African artists.
1. Shakka ft Mr Eazi – Too Bad Bad
Born to Dominican parents, singer-songwriter Shakka grew up in West London, debuting as an artist in 2009 before chalking up collaborations with a string of UK artists including Wretch 32, Lethal Bizzle and Boy Better Know’s Frisco. Earlier this year he revisited his African roots with Too Bad Bad, a funky Afrobeats number with a feature from Nigeria’s Mr Eazi and a gorgeous video, mixing up opulent surroundings with dancers in African jewellery and bold leopard print.
2. Juls x Tiggs Da Author x Santi – Maayaa
Taken from Juls’ most recent release Colour, Maayaa pairs up the British-born Ghanian DJ-producer with a pair of vocalists – Nigerian-born alté star Santi and London-born Tanzanian artist Tiggs Da Author. Laid back and soulful, with blissful vocals and a subtle instrumental arrangement, it features a video celebrating motherhood, peopled by African women dressed in native attire.
3. Kojo Funds ft Wizkid – I Like
Born and raised in Custom House, East London but with roots in Ghana and the West Indies, Kojo Funds pours all his cultural heritage into his music – a mix of UK rap, Afrobeats and dancehall that he calls “Afro swing”. On I Like, he enlists breakout Nigerian singer-songwriter Wizkid for a song that draws on dancehall and bashment but goes for a subtle, summery vibe.
4. Jorja Smith ft Burna Boy – Be Honest
Jorja Smith switches it up with her first single release since the release of debut LP Lost And Found. Earlier this year, she guested on Gum Body, a sweet duet from Burna Boy’s African Giant. Now the Nigerian vocalist repays the favour, lending his distinctive vocal to this lilting Afrobeats-style track produced by Cadenza. For more in this vein, see Burna Boy’s collaboration with British singer-songwriter Mahalia, the dancehall-inspired Simmer.
5. DJ Spinall ft. Kojo Funds – What Do You See
Nigerian-born DJ Spinall is one of the Afrobeats sound’s biggest advocates globally, touring the UK and the United States and collaborating with the likes of Wizkid and Burna Boy. While Kojo Funds was visiting Nigeria, he and Spinall linked up, before announcing they were working together on social media. The resulting What Do You See, produced by Killertunes, proves Kojo sounds great even on straight Afrobeats.
6. Eugy ft. Harmonize – LoLo Remix
Born in Ghana but now based in London, Eugy started his career as a grime MC but soon took a turn into Afrobeats, inspired by the highlife musicians he grew up listening to. He scored an international hit in 2016 with the Mr Eazi collaboration Dance With Me, and in 2019 signed to Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing London. His 2019 single LoLo featured a string of remixes, including contributions from Colombia’s Farina and Tanzania’s Harmonize, who sings in his native language Swahili – a taste of the upcoming East African Afrobeats sound.
7. Dave ft Burna Boy - Location
Dave and Burna Boy united for 2019’s summer anthem Location – a track from Dave’s Mercury-winning album Psychodrama. The JAE5-produced track finds Dave at his wittiest and most confident, chatting about romance and seduction, with Burna Boy supplying a smooth hook. One of Dave’s biggest hits to date, it spent nine weeks on the UK chart, peaking at No.6, and has since gone platinum.
8. Sneakbo ft Moelogo – Pree Me
Brixton-born rapper Sneakbo is still acknowledged as the artist that first defined the Afro-bashment sound. His most recent track is Pree Me, featuring Nigerian-born, South London-raised Afrobeat artist Moelogo – but of course the pair have history, having released their first collaboration I Like It back in 2015.
Now watch Omo Frenchie, Naira Marley, Jaij Hollands and more in the UK Afrobeats cypher.
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