There is no doubt that the African music scene is beginning to grow into a wider audience and becoming included in global conversations. It’s also a big pool of resources that several foreign investments have begun to tap into. This is not too surprising given the vast range of talents, there are to explore in contemporary African music. You can always have quality sounds when you dig deep beyond the surface. Many would streamline these various sounds into Afrobeats as a genre but it’s important to note that Afrobeats is not just a genre but a movement. It’s an umbrella covering several sounds you can associate with Africa, especially West Africa. Several other cultural sounds and contemporary sonic exports are in the continent’s sea of creativity yet to be fully exploited.
Music has always been a part of African cultures. Most of these traditional sounds have not only metamorphosed into new sounds today but also created the solid foundation upon which contemporary African music is being built. In light of recent developments in the African Music scene, we have witnessed both a shift in the culture and sound. While many contemporary Artists follow these changes immediately, some have taken time to adopt the foundation to adapt to the sonic revolution. This goes beyond their sound but also their brand identity which has made them stand out over the past few years. I know a couple of these names are already popping into your mind as you read.
This article highlights some of the Artists who have set out to reshape the future of African sounds. Some are new names and some are finally gaining momentum in the industry today.
3 Male African Music Artists Reshaping the Future of Afro Sounds.
In this category, quite many names will come to mind. The likes of Asake, Adekunle Gold, and Rema alongside the big 3 male acts will be mentioned. It is important to also bring to the spotlight these few who have been intentional and consistent in their crafts. For the past few years, they have been promoting African music and culture through their sounds.
Camidoh
Raphael Camidoh Kofi Attachie popularly known as Camidoh is a Ghanaian Afropop, R&B, and Afrobeats songwriter and artist. He was born in Aflao and is a graduate of Marketing from the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
Camidoh’s art embodies a perfect blend of multiple genres and cultures. This has helped him penetrate multiple markets in the world from West Africa to the USA, UK, Portugal etc. This owes to his multiple collaborations with Nigerian Artists. His song “Sugarcane” released in December 2021 paved the way for his emergence into the spotlight. It became a trending TikTok sensation in Ghana which spilled over into Nigeria especially releasing the remix featuring King Promise, Mayorkun, and Darkoo on the 8th of April,2022. This record will go on to peak as #1 on Nigeria’s Top 100 music chart on Apple Music.
He has won quite several awards and gotten nominations in both Ghana and abroad highlighting the quality of his craft. His most recent nomination for “Best New International Act” on BET awards which he describes as unanticipated, shows how far and impactful his sound is. Watch out for Camidoh this year.
Mannywellz
Emmanuel Ajomale popularly known as Mannywellz is an America-based Artist of Nigerian descent who is hoisting the flag of Afro sounds high in the US. Born into a musically inclined family with his dad being a gospel artist. He prefers not to limit his creativity to a specific genre but in all his songs, you’d find that element of culture infused. He is either doing so in his delivery, lyrics (a mix of English, Yoruba, and Pidgin English), or production elements. A genre cum culture blender indeed!
Mr Oulala, despite his residency problems in the US, found music as his solace. He has also redefined the game and shown consistency and intentionality in his craft. Mannywellz promotes his music through beautifully curated content and at some point, he was always all over my social media pages. He has worked with several artists including Tems, Van Jess, and Wale. You should listen to his top tracks like “Oou Ahh”, “Peace”, “Magic” among many others.
With no intentions of signing to a label, Mannywellz is moving unconventionally this year. He is releasing new songs, and they won’t be general DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) but for sale. He’s done it with his birthday release, and he was able to make the equivalent of 250,000 streams on Spotify in a week after release. As for him, his people and art are what he values the most and promoting the African culture. Watch out for his new releases this year.
Victony
Anthony Ebuka Victor professionally known as Victony is on this list for a reason- Intentionality. He started out as a rapper as I remember him on a revival series with Ladipoe. Victony has been in the scene for some time now but recently gained a lingering bright spotlight over his career. Not only has he made multiple hits that have topped charts and gone viral, but he has also redefined the branding game in the scene.
The Outlaw King as he is known has been more intentional with his identity through his animated persona, giving his audience visual clues for his next release or plans through creative art works and collaborations. He also aims to create an intimate relationship with his fans through clandestine shows and events as we saw last year. His recent stunt where he featured 14 artists on song “Ohema” was quite interesting to see. The execution and delivery were impeccable hereby proving that too many cooks make the broth tastier sometimes.
In 2022, he became the first-ever Nigerian Spotify Single Artist where he made a cover to “Dami Duro”, a classic by Davido. He would then go on to release his smash hit, “Soweto” which will later be remixed with Rema and Don Toliver and have over 100 million streams on Spotify. Victony is taking us on a journey, and we are here for it!
These artists among many others are reshaping the future of African music locally and internationally. Let’s see what 2024 holds in store.
Watch out for the second part of this article: Female Artists reshaping the future of Afro Sounds.
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