It should come as no surprise that Great Britain has become a key nexus for Nigerian and Ghanaian cultural innovation. Due to a deeply unequal colonial relationship that saw opportunity concentrated in the metropole, both countries possess long histories of migration and interchange with the United Kingdom–histories that have bred critical innovations in music.
Indeed, a young Fela Kuti studied trumpet performance at London’s Trinity College of Music, making his first-ever recordings in London and meeting artists like Oladipupo “Ambrose” Campbell, who would eventually influence the signature sound behind Afrobeat. Osibisa, one of the most influential bands in Ghana’s history, was formed in 1960s London, led by the Kumasi-born Teddy Osei and renowned for meshing African rhythms with genres like Rock, Funk, and Soul. It is understandable, then, that a genre as global as Afrobeats would have a deep relationship with the United Kingdom, one whose seeds were sown before the start of the 21st Century.
Early 2000s: The JJCs
Triggered by varied political crises–ranging from Sani Abacha’s murderous regime to the Somali Civil War–and neoliberalism-driven economic strife, Africans across the continent, from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, migrated to the United Kingdom at an unprecedented rate. This fresh crop of migrants, some of whom had also travelled to further their university education, found themselves in an environment where their home music was largely inaccessible in the public arena, and this encouraged the efforts of brave cultural innovators who would work to make a space for African music in the United Kingdom.
This is where we’ll find figures like the Kano-born JJC, a rapper who migrated to the UK as a teenager, later becoming a producer for the famed Black British Hip-Hop group Big Brovaz. Fed up with the lack of representation for African culture in the British music mainstream, he formed a group called the 419 Squad. Emblematic of what JJC called “Afro-pean” music, the Squad was known for meshing both Yoruba and English in their releases, fostering a unique sense of belonging for Nigerians in the British heartland. Their 2003 debut LP ‘Atide’ featured collaborators like Weird MC, Kween, Maintain, Dr Sid, and Don Jazzy, revealing the extent of their relationship with the continental Nigerian music scene.
Cultural curators like Ayo Shonaiya and DJ Abass helped carve out distinctly African and Black diasporic music spaces through live events and media. Shonaiya’s BEN TV became a pioneering source of African music entertainment TV in the UK, and with Abass as a major presenter on the channel’s Intro talk show, the pair featured individuals like Tony Tetuila, Jazzman Olofin, Ruggedman, and even Jamaica’s Chaka Demus & Pliers. Through events like 2003’s Nigerian Independence Intro Jam, they provided a stage for acts like The Trybesmen, Tony Teutila, AY, JJC & 419 Squad, Eedris Abdulkareem, Maintain, and more to perform in London, a groundbreaking feat for the period.
Quite notably, the UK was also where Don Jazzy properly cut his teeth as a producer. In the early 2000s, he started out in a UK-Nigerian outfit called the Solek Crew, who fused indigenous Nigerian sound with genres like Hip-hop and R&B. He eventually went on to work with JJC & the 419 Squad, where he properly learned the intricacies of music production. He then met D’Banj, whose 2005 debut album ‘No Long Thing,’ Don Jazzy would produce. The pair made the critical decision to move back to Nigeria and release the project there under their newly-formed label Mo’Hits, kickstarting an era of success for themselves and, ultimately, the next era of Nigerian music.
Amid these industry-level innovations, there was also community-based work that furthered “Afrobeats” and African music culture in the United Kingdom. Hall parties were community gatherings hosted by immigrants from across the continent, where music from the likes of Daddy Lumba and Awilo Longomba would loudly play. Notting Hill Carnival’s “Nigerian Corner” offered a stage for diverse London audiences to experience performances from Nigerian artists and comedians alike. Show promoters like the 90 Per cent Group with Dennis Tawiah and DJ Abrantee (who was popularly, albeit erroneously, credited with coining the term “Afrobeats” in 2011) produced community gatherings like Ghanaian Independence nights, ultimately laying the groundwork for the next generation of Afrobeats in the United Kingdom.
Early 2010s: British Afrobeats and Preliminary Fusion
Even with the spirited efforts of the previous era, the prevalence of Afrobeats in the British mainstream and even amongst Black Britons remained marginal in a landscape where Caribbean (and particularly Jamaican) cultural expression had greater visibility. Afrobeats and African music struggled to find a consistent place in the Black British cultural fore–but this was challenged in the late 2000s and early 2010s by the African “uni scene.” Here, Christian Adofo–British-Ghanaian journalist and author of A Quick Ting on Afrobeats–weighs in:
“It’s a whole entrepreneurial kind of scene,” Adofo explains, detailing the rise of the “uni scene.” “A lot of [event] promoters were of West African heritage, and they realized…they used to go to a lot of Nigerian independence or Ghanaian independence raves in the mid 1990s to the early 2000s. They saw there was a gap in this market where a lot of people who had [West African] heritage were going to these events that were selling out two or three-thousand-capacity venues. They thought, ‘How come we can’t come together more regularly as opposed to during this kind of annual event?’ [Furthermore,] the more dominant population in terms of the Black population [in Britain] is no longer Caribbean; it’s overtaken by people of West African heritage. In turn, you see a lot of people who are in university but want entertainment that reflects where they’re from. So [promoters] build these ‘uni’ raves [where]…DJs and emcees are… making reference to their respective motherlands, shouting out people in the crowd.”
It was through these university raves that African youth who had spent their formative years in the UK–unlike the previous set of innovators who, mainly, had recently migrated to the United Kingdom–could have their voice. These university-centered events progressed beyond the older Fuji, Soukous, and Hiplife that defined the hall parties of their childhood, and offered a platform for contemporary “Afrobeats” in the British heartland.
The rise of these African social spaces both paralleled and helped foster the production of homegrown Afrobeats amongst this set of British Africans, forming what can be called British Afrobeats. Early British-Ghanaian Afrobeats artists–Mista Silva, Kwamz & Flava, and A-Star–sampled the immensely popular “Move Back” by Ghana’s 5five, creating their track “Bo Won Sem Ma Me.” Mista Silva starts off the track singing in Ghanaian Twi, then quickly transitions to Black British English while using a standard grime flow, reflecting the confluence of Ghanaian and Black British culture.
In this same era, the South London-bred Fuse ODG travelled to Ghana in 2011 and returned to London with a sonic gold mine. That same year, he released “Azonto,” shaking the UK and the African continent alike while offering a major soundtrack to the Ghanaian dance craze following Sarkodie’s iconic “U Go Kill Me.” With a top 30 slot on the charts, the track reflected the increasing popularity of music inspired by Africa, rivaled only by D’banj’s top 10 hit “Oliver Twist.” It was soon followed by “Antenna,” peaking at number 7 on the UK’s singles chart and earning a remix with Wyclef Jean. 2014’s “Dangerous Love” with Sean Paul, the biggest song of his career, reached a startling number three on the UK singles chart and remained there for 24 weeks.
As evidenced by Fuse ODG, British African artists were already creating work that impacted the progression of Afrobeats back on the continent. British-Ghanaian producer Juls produced “Feel Alright” for Show Dem Camp in 2012, and the following year produced “Bankulize” for Mr. Eazi. At this point, it was unknown that the same producer would go on to form a key part of soundscapes across the UK, Ghana, and Nigeria, shaping Afrobeats, Banku music, Alté, and Afroswing among others. Similarly, British-Nigerian artist-producer Maleek Berry was steadily producing tracks for continental stars like Davido, Sauce Kid, and Wande Coal, and after having joined Starboy Entertainment as an in-house producer, put out his own songs alongside his label boss Wizkid.
Other artists such as Mitch, and British-Nigerians SK, Timbo, Sneakbo, and YFS furthered the Afrobeats sound by meshing it with genres like UK Rap and Dancehall, as seen in Mover and Timbo’s 2013 hit “Ringtone.” 2014’s “Marry Juana” by then Peckham-based Naira Marley was another highly popular track in the burgeoning scene that showcased the early meshing of Afrobeats and Dancehall. This routine straddling of Afrobeats, Rap, and Dancehall both pioneered and prophesied the syncretism that would characterize the following movement: Afroswing.
While these artists were responsible for pushing British-born African sound, they could not have achieved widespread resonance without the help of DJs propelling the scene. Almost as important as the acts themselves, disc jockeys like DJ P Montana, DJ Funkz, DJ Larizzle, and Afro B were pivotal in pushing both British and continental Afrobeats in clubs, raves, and at radio stations.
2016 – 2018: The Golden Age of Afroswing
By 2015, the UK still had a crop of acts pushing “pure” Afrobeats. Kwamz & Flava–still known today for their infectious Afro Dance tracks–represented their country of origin well with tracks like 2015’s “WO ONANE NO” and the following year’s “Takeover.” In 2015, Juls’ production on “Skin Tight” with Mr. Eazi and Efya created one of the biggest songs of Mr. Eazi’s career to date. That same year, Jaij Hollands put out the addictive Azonto-influenced number “PINGA” alongside NSG, birthing one of NSG’s early breakthrough tracks. All in all, Afrobeats had much more of a presence in the UK, reflected in 2015’s “Ojuelegba” remix with Drake and grime giant Skepta, where the latter aptly reminisced back to his school days when “being African was a diss.”
In a twist of events, this same era would witness the mainstreaming of a syncretic African sound native to the United Kingdom–one that merged Afrobeats with genres like Bashment, Hip-Hop, and Road Rap, and featured interplay between African, Black British, and Caribbean dialects and flows.
“It’s not just rooted in West African culture,” Christian Adofo says of Afroswing. “It’s also rooted in Caribbean culture and an idea of Black Britishness. And then you jump on top of that with your own kind of pidgin, or that UK or Jamaican patois, these are all different kinds of elements that speak to a sort of code switching within different settings. They’re uniting Black people from different environments.”
If possible, perhaps too many individuals and tracks are representative of the Afroswing renaissance. East London’s Kojo Funds captivated listeners back in 2014 with Afro-Dancehall tracks “Want From Me” and “Arriba!.” While 2016’s “My 9ine” offered him increased popularity, it was the famed “Dun Talkin’” featuring British-Ghanaian rapper Abra Cadabra that truly inked his name into the annals of Afroswing history (and arguably inspired the refrain of Davido’s “Fall”). The song’s blend of Rap, Dancehall, and African beats saw Kojo Funds incorporate African sonics into the Black British cultural fabric, making the song a certified anthem whilst catapulting Kojo Funds to national fame.
His following track, “Fine Wine,” was a similarly significant hit, one which led to the breakout of its featured act Yxng Bane. Bane, a Congolese-Angolan vocalist and MC, began his journey into the world of Afropop through 2016’s “Should’ve Known Better.” He made his name as a standout in the scene through the aforementioned “Fine Wine” of the same year, a sexy remix of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” and his biggest feature “Bestie,” a summer-ready Afroswing banger about clandestine love that peaked at number 10 on the UK Charts.
Not3s’ “Addison Lee” became a gigantic hit in 2016 Afroswing, followed soon after by the indulgent “Aladdin” and “My Lover,” marking the beginning of his career as a consistent player in the genre. Ramz’s “Barking” similarly dominated the scene, shooting up to number two on the UK Singles chart. Dave and MoStack’s “No Words” – crafted by Afroswing producer Steel Banglez – was a massive triumph, as were the joyous “Unsigned” and “Best Life,” both highly successful collaborations between British-Nigerians Hardy Caprio and One Acen. MoStack alone was a force in Afroswing, pushing genre-defining collaborations with acts like MIST and J Hus. Lotto Boyzz blended melodic trap with Afro-influenced production on “No Don,” and with their successful 2017 EP ‘Afrobbean’ (unintentionally hearkening back to JJC’s “Afro-pean” music), they also attempted to define the unfurling Afroswing phenomenon. British-Nigerian artist Tion Wayne began his journey into the world of Afro-fusion sound with “Can’t Go Broke” alongside Afro B, triggering the start of numerous collaborations with the latter artist and Wayne’s career as a formidable rapper in Afroswing. Maleek Berry’s “Kontrol” and Afro B’s “Drogba (Joanna)” found dominance back on the continent, while Eugy & Mr. Eazi’s “Dance for Me” saw an explosive collaboration between the homegrown and the diasporic.
However, no artist is quite as emblematic of the Afroswing wave as J Hus. The Gambian-Ghanaian rapper first gained attention in 2014 for his versatile freestyles on popular Black British music platforms, known to alternate from gritty rap to melodic hooks, betraying a grip on the balance that defined Afroswing. His street anthem “Dem Boy Paigon” perfectly reflected the genre’s fusion ethos, while “Friendly”–a similarly “greasy” tune blending Afrobeats, Dancehall, and rap–further distinguished J Hus as a never-before-seen talent. Both tracks found their way onto his highly influential mixtape ‘The 15th Day’ –an ode to his Stratford origins that featured acts like NSG and Mista Silva.
It would ultimately be 2017’s “Did You See,” produced by Hus’ long-time collaborator Jae5, that would leave an indelible, Hus-shaped mark in Great Britain’s music ecosystem. One need only watch J Hus’ 2018 performance at the nomination show for the infamous BRIT Awards, as he performs “Did You See” to a crowd of white British youths who recite every word back to him.
His wildly successful debut album ‘Common Sense’–also produced majorly by Jae–was a symbolic microcosm of Afroswing’s golden age. Equipped with Afrobeats, Rap, Bashment, soul, and a penchant for fusion, the project saw previously marginal sounds become the soundtrack of a nation–the entire thesis of the Afroswing movement.
In this same era, individuals like Juls produced music that had deep resonance both within the UK and on the continent. His 2017 debut project ‘Leap of Faith’, recruited British African acts like Kojey Radical, Not3s, Kojo Funds, Eugy, and Tomi Agape, whilst forming soothing soundscapes with alternative artists such as Odunsi the Engine, Cruel Santino, Nonso Amadi, and Moelogo. Juls’ signature sound traveled back to the continent in the forms of gems like Burna Boy’s “Gwarn” and Wande Coal’s “So Mi So” and “Sister Girl,” solidifying his role as a key player both on the continent and in diaspora.
2018 – 2021: The Second Wave
By late 2018 and 2019, the Afroswing scene had begun to acquire new leading players, many of whom offered fresh and innovative interpretations of Afro-syncretic music that differed from the representations of the previous epoch. NSG fully reigned in this era, releasing the ever-danceable “Yo Darlin’” with Geko, “Options,” and “OT Bop.” Their 2020 mixtape ‘Roots,’ drawing on genres like Afrobeats, Reggae, and Hip-Hop, served as a symbolic meeting place for disparate Black diasporic listeners while emphasizing the centrality of Africa, authentically representing the essence of Afroswing.
Ms. Banks, known primarily as a rapper, became a strong contender in Afroswing with 2019’s release of her Afrobashment track “Snack” featuring Kida Kudz. The same year, Darkoo’s breakout “Gangsta,” followed by “Juicy,” laid the foundations for her future as an Afropop hitmaker. Shaybo operated in a similar vein, incorporating Yoruba and pidgin into her drill tracks before releasing the syncretic Afroswing number “Dobale” (which later earned a remix with Bella Shmurda). Ghana’s Br3nya, however, had a more consistent relationship with the genre, often rapping rhythmically about her feminine wiles over thumping African beats. In this same era, the Afroswing hit “Don’t Rush” by Young T & Bugsey–a Nigerian-Jamaican rap outfit–gained mass virality, highlighting the genre’s international resonance.
Midas the Jagaban was particularly novel for being the first woman to incorporate Street-pop into British Afropop, evidenced in “Come We Bill Ehh” and “Party With a Jagaban.” While raw Street-pop was slightly uncommon in a British context, pushed primarily by acts like Naira Marley and Damibilz, Midas’ joyful, upbeat interpretation of the genre made it highly accessible to wider audiences. Her work–and the effort of the women mentioned before her–represented that the changes of this era were not only sonic, but also identarian. For the first time, Black women were significant players in the Afroswing scene, taking up space as leading artists whose swagger, aspirations, and sexualities could be expressed through the genre without inhibition.
While West London’s WSTRN is known mainly for their innovations in Dancehall, R&B, and Hip-Hop, the collective’s diversity of sound also embraces Afrobeats and Afroswing–as seen in “Wonder Woman” and their Fireboy DML collaboration “Be My Guest.” Odeal opted for an Afro-R&B route, his melodic offerings like “Composure 2” and “Na You” prophesying his current reign. A-Star, while outside of the realm of Afroswing proper, made his name as a force in Afro Dance music, releasing his 2018 breakout “Kupe Dance” and following up with the viral “Balaya,” “Nana Riddim,” and “Stepping Good.”
There was, of course, Pa Salieu, Coventry’s British-Gambian gem, who put out gritty, rap-driven Afroswing as well as drill. His popular tracks “Frontline” and “My Family” are exemplary of his Afro-road sound, and he calls on the continent often with Afrocentric works such as 2020’s “B***K” (pronounced “Black”) and his 2021 EP ‘Afrikan Rebel.’
The dominance of Afroswing standardized the incorporation of African influences into the Black British music canon. As such, it became commonplace for rappers like Nines, Loski, and Giggs to incorporate smooth Afropop b-sides into their own projects, working with artists like NSG, Davido, and Obongjayar, respectively. The most glaring indicator of Afroswing’s influence in Great Britain, however, was the new UK Afrobeats chart. In 2020, the UK’s Official Charts company created a distinct chart to document the extent of the genre’s resonance in the country, demonstrating the sheer extent to which the nation consumed African sound.
2021 – Present: The Death of Afroswing?
As the UK continued to call, continental Afrobeats acts continued to answer. It was only such strong fervor for African sound that could have inspired Mr. Eazi’s seminal ‘Lagos to London’ mixtape, where he invited the likes of Lotto Boyzz, Sneakbo, Maleek Berry, and the legendary Giggs to his Banku-driven world. Live events like Davido’s sold-out 30 Billion UK Tour, or Wizkid’s sold-out Afrorepublik show–both held in 2018–convey the extent of Afrobeats’ popularity in the United Kingdom. Such frequent cross-breeding naturally inspired collaborations that made waves in both Africa and diaspora, such as Wizkid and Skepta’s “Energy,” or Dave and Burna Boy’s “Location.”
The UK’s Afrobeats craze only intensified with time. While Wizkid’s 2020 magnum opus ‘Made in Lagos’ helped spread Afrobeats to global markets that it had scarcely reached before, the project only fanned Great Britain’s pre-existing flame. Building off of this zeal, Wizkid occupied London’s O2 Arena in a sold-out, three-day-long residency in 2021. Bringing out Nigerian stars like Tems, BNXN fka Buju, and Burna Boy, as well as UK acts like Giggs, Juls, and Skepta, Wizkid created an unrivaled space of cultural communion for Africans in Britain, whilst producing what became one of the most infamous international performances in the history of Afrobeats. Burna Boy followed suit in 2023, with a sold-out concert at the iconic 80,000 capacity London Stadium. The same year, Rema sold out the O2 Arena on his ‘Ravage’ tour, as did Asake in 2024 during his ‘Lungu Boy’ tour. In the most symbolic–and perhaps controversial– display of Afrobeats’ influence in the United Kingdom, Tiwa Savage performed at King Charles III’s 2023 coronation alongside the likes of Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Here, what was brought to the metropole via colonial processes now sat side by side with the empire.
Now, it is almost common for the biggest Afrobeats acts to surpass the reach of their British peers – with acts like Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Asake, and Rema leading lineups at the Glastonbury and Wireless Festivals. And while many British Africans lament the “death of the hall party,” their absence has technically been supplemented by the rise of countless event series that amplify African music. Afro Nation–arguably the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival–is a direct product of London-based Nigerian show promoters, revealing the sound’s dominance within the country.
While Afrobeats’ standing in the UK is firmer than ever before, the same cannot be said for Afroswing. 2021 produced a solid crop of Afroswing hits, such as Dave’s “System” and “Lazarus” with Wizkid and Boj, Darkoo’s “Bad From Early,” and NSG’s “Petite,” “After OT Bop,” “Don’t Play Me,” and “Colonization.” A newer set of Afro-centric artists now dominate the scene, namely JayO, Odeal, Gabzy, and Darkoo, amongst others. However, far deviating from the glorious summers of old when Afroswing reigned, the past 3 years have seen national fervor for the sound wither. Some blamed the lull on the disappearance of anchors like J Hus, who, after releasing his critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘Big Conspiracy’ at the top of 2020, all but vanished on an indefinite hiatus.
It’s more likely that the scene’s decline is linked to the natural progression of history. At its foundation, Afroswing gained popularity on a highly local level, becoming the primary framework for Britons looking to incorporate African influences into their music. Now, as African genres have gained unprecedented global prominence, UK-based artists looking to “Africanize” their sound are more likely to draw from continentally-produced Afrobeats and Amapiano, no longer relying on a homegrown, syncretic British sound.
In fear of the scene’s demise, artists and consumers alike have clamored for change, brainstorming ways that we can collectively save Afroswing. In 2023, NSG began a campaign to “Make Afroswing Great Again,” releasing their debut album AREA BOYZ and hosting a “Make Afroswing Great Again” concert featuring Timbo, Geko, Ramz, Kojo Funds, Not3s, Young T & Bugsey, One Acen, Darkoo, Tion Wayne, Steel Banglez, and Jae5, among others. J Hus, in a return of Avatar-like proportions, broke his project hiatus in the same year, releasing his TSB-anchored third album, ‘Beautiful and Brutal Yard.’ Possibly reflecting the changing times. However, the project failed to have the same impact as its predecessors.
Ultimately, part of the beauty of the Afroswing movement was that it represented a kind of renaissance, where, for what felt like the first time, African music held a dominant position in Great Britain’s cultural landscape. Following this renaissance, the barriers had been broken, and the representation had been achieved–making the novelty of the moment impossible to replicate. Essentially, it is difficult for Afroswing to be as revolutionary as it was during its golden years, because its revolutionary character was rooted in just how unprecedented it was.
While many mourn Afroswing’s “death,” it might be more accurate to say that the genre’s prime has passed but that its legacy lives on. It now forms an indelible component of the Black British music canon, both continuing and strengthening the fusion tradition that allowed it to come to life in the first place. Moreover, the genre–and all other British-born manifestations of African music–forcibly made a home for Afrobeats within Great Britain–a home whose lease will fail to expire for the foreseeable future. Recent projects from Pa Salieu, NSG, Young T & Bugsey, and Jae5 serve as proof that the Afro-influenced sound in Great Britain is alive and well, and that the impact of Afroswing remains. British-African artists like Len, Jim Legxacy, and LeoStaysTrill incorporate African rhythms into their rap explorations, revealing the genre’s impact beyond the constraints of a singular sound. In Afroswing’s wake, African sounds unabashedly thrive in Britain–no longer relegated to the margins, but instead taking up their rightful position on the center stage.
