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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.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Example Sentences

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The exchange of ideas between the two would later be seen as formative to the development of Afrobeat, a political cocktail blending highlife with funk, jazz and soul.

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

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

The King has longstanding ties to Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, having expressed a love for Pidgin English and Nigerian Afrobeats music.

From BBC Feb. 7, 2026

Of the five nominees for the Best African performance this year, three are Nigerian Afrobeats singers, after another Nigerian, Tems, won last year.

From Barron's Jan. 30, 2026

My heart thumps with the Afrobeats that float through the breeze.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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