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The Latest Breaking News from Afrobeats

Much as it galls the French, English has become Europe’s cultural lingua franca

The British may have left the EU, but if recent films are to go by, their language remains centre stage

The Guardian - UK

Nigerian police detain prominent musician for questioning after a young star's death

Naira Marley, a major Afrobeats star, is in police custody for questioning over the death of Mohbad, who died in a Lagos hospital last month at age 27. Marley has denied involvement in Mohbad's death.

WEKU

Nigerian police detain Afrobeats star Naira Marley over death of MohBad

Boss of rising singer’s former music label has denied any involvement in unexplained death

The Guardian - UK

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In Nigeria, grief spills to the streets over death of Afrobeats star Mohbad

The late star, 27, died in mysterious circumstances after a label feud and that has led to outrage across Nigeria.

Al Jazeera

Burna Boy: I Told Them review – Afrobeats superstar punches closer to the mainstream

Eschewing the political controversies of his interviews, the Nigerian musician’s seventh album is streamlined, swaggering and rich with perfectly deployed vocal samples

The Guardian - UK

Music video controversy in Nigeria: Logos Olori misreads a religious time bomb

Recently, Logos Olori – a Nigerian singer who is signed to Afrobeats superstar Davido’s music label – released a video with supposedly Muslim men dancing to his song Jaye Lo in front of a mosque. After an outcry, the controversial video had to be taken down by Davido because it…

The Conversation

One to watch: Libianca

The Cameroonian-American Afrobeats sensation behind slow-jam hit People blends spiritual gratitude and romantic disappointment on her new single

The Guardian - UK

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Afrobeats superstar Wizkid: ‘I’m here to steer the new generation – we’re the kings now’

Ahead of his huge gig in London this month, the ‘Star Boy’ talks about how music saved his life, how he sometimes feels like God and how his mum made him a go-getter

Evening Standard

Oxlade at Meltdown Festival review: sporadically dazzling, but the Nigerian star is still a work in progress

A glittery catwalk show of fabulous outfits and high-voltage glamour – and that was just the audience

Evening Standard

Amid 'Fast & Furious' life, Ludacris can 'stand still' for a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES — During a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, Ludacris sat at his dining room table, appreciating the view from his Hollywood Hills home.

Los Angeles Times

Want the real Afrobeats experience? For many Black Angelenos, that means a trip to Africa

LOS ANGELES — The first thing Dee Williams noticed was that it felt like home.

Los Angeles Times

Timeless review: Nigerian star Davido's new album is mostly form over substance

Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido (David Adeleke) has demonstrated himself to be a master of showboating. He is able to milk every situation to the maximum. And he did not disappoint with the recent trailer for his fourth studio album, Timeless, released on 31 March.

The Conversation

Brixton Academy crush: Only half recommended number of medical staff on duty - claims

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in hospital after a crowd surge at the venue

Evening Standard

Brixton O2 Academy will remain shut while police investigate crush

The London venue had its licence suspended after the surge, during a show by Asake, left two people dead

The Guardian - UK

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The Conversation

Afrobeats in 2022: global mobility, election songs, placemaking albums – and Tems

More than Nollywood films, Afrobeats is arguably Nigeria’s strongest cultural export since the turn of the millennium. It is a hugely dynamic music category that incorporates a range of moods, languages, styles, and existing genres. To understand its impact, a cultural connoisseur has equated good Afrobeats music with well-made, smoky…

Daily Mirror

Witness to crush at Asake gig in Brixton explains what he saw as three fight for life

Solomon Smith, the founder of the Brixton Food Kitchen, had gone to the Afrobeats artist Asake last night at the O2 Academy in Brixton, South London. Eight people were taken to hospital

Daily Mirror

Horror at O2 Academy Brixton as victim trampled in crush 'thought she was dead'

Four people remain in a critical condition this morning after large crowds were caught in a crush outside a gig for Afrobeats superstar Asake at the O2 Academy Brixton in South London last night

Tribune News Service

Jam-packed venues for Fireboy, Burna Boy show rising star power for Afrobeats

A few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to hear Afrobeats acts like Tiwa Savage, Davido, Wizkid or Burna Boy on mainstream radio stations in the U.S. Now, those artists are scoring songs on soundtracks for blockbuster films and nabbing Grammy Awards.

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The Conversation

Asake, the breakout pop star from Nigeria who owned 2022

Asake’s first commercial releases, beginning with the song Lady in 2020, didn’t really portend a seismic shift in Nigeria’s teeming Afrobeats scene. The 27-year-old genre-blending Nigerian singer and rapper has a tongue-in-cheek delivery and jocular persona. He writes nonsensical, self-deprecating rhymes with hip-hop influenced consumerist themes and could easily be…

The Independent UK

Ifeanyi Adeleke death: Davido’s three-year-old son drowns, household staff questioned by police

Three-year-old son of afrobeats superstar celebrated his birthday last month

The Independent UK

Davido: ‘Africa is beautiful, but we don’t have the best leaders handling the economy’ 

The Afrobeats superstar talks to Kevin E G Perry about launching his own festival in Atlanta, soundtracking the World Cup in Qatar, and how he ended up donating £450,000 to Nigerian orphanages over a Rolls Royce mishap

The Conversation

Simi and Bella Shmurda: two Afrobeats stars reveal a growing tendency to abuse Fela Kuti

There can no longer be any doubt that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician, activist and father of Afrobeat music, has become an easy career booster for today’s Afrobeats artists who are undergoing creative droughts.

The Guardian - UK

The week in audio: 5 Live Breakfast; LBC; Sounds of Black Britain; Empire; Love and Radio – review

When radio coverage of the Queen’s death ended up like a long Test match commentary, it was good to turn to some alternative views of Britishness

The Conversation

How Burna Boy set the world alight with his mixed brew of influences

Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy burst onto the global stage in 2018 with a slew of irresistible hits on his third album, Outside, accompanied by mandatory fiendish good looks and charm. Grammy and BET awards helped firm up his status within a highly competitive global music industry.

The Conversation

Setting the record straight: Burna Boy didn't create a music genre called Afrofusion

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born in 1991 in Port Harcourt, the largest city in Rivers State in Nigeria. He would become known as Burna Boy, a singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing Like to Party, the lead single from L.I.F.E., his debut studio…

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