How Afrobeats has become an unstoppable musical force
The music of African American artists has a knack for making white people shake with excitement, despite its often racist and racially charged lyrics. Here, Afrobeats, one of the most popular and fastest growing R&B and pop boy bands, demonstrates that even the most white-oriented of songs can be fun.
It’s the summer of 2012. The American president is a black man. The musical chart is dominated by black artists. And it is easy to see why.
‘M.I.A’ has been one of the most successful albums of all time. Beyoncé’s ‘Flawless’ is the most streamed track on the radio. And the most downloaded song of all time is a track by the Black Eyed Peas that appears on the iconic ‘Llama Llama’ video.
The ‘We Are the World’ global anthem is not a track from the aforementioned ‘Flawless’ album and in no way did it appear in the ‘We Are the World’ video featuring Beyoncé. It was a video not made by Beyoncé, a video shot on the Caribbean island of Anguilla by director Chris Cunningham, but he still received a lifetime achievement Oscar for his visual effects work.
These are just a couple of examples among hundreds of examples of black artists being celebrated and celebrated by white audiences; and for the same reason.
And why, exactly? Why does Afrobeats’ music make white people so happy? The answers are both personal and thematic:
There is a feeling of power.
Racism can be the most painful experience of white supremacy. In this particular case, the pain comes not just from being white but being white in America. The idea that their government holds us back economically, and their government does not support them economically, is especially painful.
White people have been the last group to fight for the right to be American. They have had to fight against the idea that they may live