Afrobeatdown

It was a little over 2 years ago that I predicted on this site that Beyoncé would release an Afrobeat joint by the end of the Summer. My guess is, knowing what Disney animation schedules are like, that’s right around the time that they cooked up the idea for Beyonce to produce an Afrobeat soundtrack album to accompany the redux Lion King. I AM NOT MAD AT ALL about this. I have always had love for queen B, but to see her giving shine to Mr. Eazi, Tekno, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, & even Oumou Sangaré! These are the projects I can only dream about when I’ve eaten a plate of chocolate for dinner. I haven’t even seen the redux movie, and don’t really plan to, but thank you universe for the music! I took this as a stepping off point, and compiled a bunch of recent Afro heaters for you all. Some with vintage samples in the mix, others more on the poppy tip, and then some that aren’t technically Afrobeat but share the overall vibe. Shout out to my homie Sumohair who provided me with a couple of the uptempo gems. Also, do yourself a favor and follow visual artist / muralist / visionary Ju Mu, in case you’ve been sleeping. I’ve been seeing her work for years on party fliers for the Mash It Up crew in Germany, but these days it’s on another level.