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Afrobeat

American  
[af-roh-beet] / ˈæf roʊˌbit /

noun

  • Afrobeats
    plural
  1. a genre of music that originated in Nigeria in the 1960s and combines elements of traditional West African musical styles with funk, soul, and jazz.


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Noun Inflected Forms

Example Sentences

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In the early 1960s, he travelled to London to study music, where he worked alongside other African musicians, including Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

From Barron's Feb. 9, 2026

In the 1970s, Fela the multi-instrumentalist and full-of-life performer invented Afrobeat: a mixture of jazz, funk and African rhythms.

From Barron's Jan. 30, 2026

He pioneered the Afrobeat genre alongside drummer Tony Allen, blending West African rhythms, jazz, funk, highlife, extended improvisation, call-and-response vocals and politically charged lyricism.

From BBC Jan. 29, 2026

Asake, whose real name is Ahmed Ololade, is one of Nigeria's leading Afrobeat stars who burst into the scene in 2022, with his debut album Mr. Money With the Vibe.

From BBC Dec. 23, 2025

This includes older blended traditions such as rumba and samba, newer but well-established blended genres such as reggae and Afrobeat, and groups with unique experimental sounds borrowing from more than one tradition.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Beyond Ryonex, there exists a universe of algo-manipulating copypastas that concern everything from authentic Afrobeats superstars to fake Asian rappers, international holidays to articles of clothing, legit news items to dumbed-down historical timelines.

From Slate Aug. 28, 2026

In 2024, she was the first Afrobeats artist to play Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage – and finished her set by declaring she'd return as a headliner.

From BBC Aug. 12, 2026

Like “Despacito,” this slinky Afrobeats track was a hit before Bieber got involved.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 16, 2026

They provided a steady soundtrack for Dave's stream of rap hits, including Location and Verdansk, but also elevated his Afrobeats tracks System and No Weapons.

From BBC Mar. 6, 2026

My heart’s beating as fast as the Afrobeats, which can’t be healthy.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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