| AfroFuture | |
|---|---|
 Former logo (from 2022) | |
| Location(s) | El Wak Stadium, Accra, Ghana |
| Years active | 2019–2022 |
| Organised by | Culture Management Group |
| Website | afrochella |
Afrofuture (stylized as AfroFuture), formerly known as Afrochella, is an African music festival that started in 2019.
AfroFuture is one of several cultural events that takes place in Ghana in December, including the Afro Nation festival and BHIM. [1] The Black Star Line Festival is scheduled to launch in January 2023. [2]
AfroFuture was co-founded in 2019 as Afrochella [2] by Abdul Abdullah. [1] The festival is organised by Culture Management Group. [3]
Afrochella 2020 occurred from December 26 to January 1 in El Wak Stadium and featured Tiwa Savage, Joey-B and Juls, Sarkodie, Samini, Wande Coal, Distruction Boyz, Mercedes Benson, Neya Music, and Amarachi Nwosu. [4] Afrochella 2021 featured Wizkid and Stonebwoy. [5]
In October 2022, the organisers were sued by the organisers of Coachella festival for trademark infringement. [1]
The last Afrochella took place in Accra's El-Wak stadium on December 28 and 29, 2022. [1] [2] The 2022 festival theme was Afrofuturism. [2] Performers included Stonebwoy, Asake, Ayra Starr, Juls, Meek Mill, Rema, Black Sherif, Camidoh, Aerostar, and Gyakie with Burna Boy performing the headline act. [1] [2] Ayra Starr fell while performing and called upon the organisers to clean the stage between performances. [6]
Michael Owusu Addo known professionally as Sarkodie, is a Ghanaian rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur from Tema. His contributions to the Ghanaian music industry have earned him numerous accolades, including the Vodafone Ghana Music Award for "Artiste of the Decade". He was announced the first winner of BET's Best International Flow artist at the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards. He is also considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and dance and one of the most successful African rappers of all time.
Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician.
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu , known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally. His third studio album Outside (2018) marked his major-label debut.
Bright Kwame Appiah, known by his stage name Streetbeatz, is a Ghanaian record producer and creative director from Tema.
The 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards were held on October 22, 2016, at Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. It recognised and rewarded musicians and achievers who made an impact on African music and youth culture during the eligibility period. The awards ceremony aired live on MTV Base, MTV and BET. It was transmitted worldwide on partner stations and content platforms, including BET International. The show was hosted by Nomzamo Mbatha, Yemi Alade and Bonang Matheba. It featured performances from Future, Yemi Alade, Nasty C, Babes Wodumo, Cassper Nyovest and Patoranking, among others.
"All Eyes on Me" is a song by South African rapper and record producer AKA featuring Burna Boy, Da L.E.S and JR, released as the fifth single from his second studio album Levels. The song is produced by award-winning producer Tweezy. On 30 November 2016, "All Eyes On Me" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa.
John Kwesi Dosunmu-Mensah better known as M.O.G Beatz, is a Ghanaian record producer who specializes in Afro-pop, Hip hop, Afrobeats, R&B, Hiplife, Fuji and Highlife.
Wendy Asiamah Addo, known by the stage name Wendy Shay, is a Ghanaian singer. In March 2021, she was among the Top 30 Most Influential Women in Music by the 3Music Awards Women's Brunch.
Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and rapper. He rose to stardom after releasing the song "Dumebi". In 2019, he signed a record deal with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records. He is best known internationally for his 2022 hit single "Calm Down", the remix of which, with Selena Gomez, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and led the U.S. Afrobeats Songs for a record-setting 35 weeks.
African Giant is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Burna Boy. The album was released on July 26, 2019, by Spaceship Entertainment, Bad Habit, Atlantic Records and Warner Music. The album is a mixture of Afrobeats, Afrobeat, dancehall, pop and hip hop. It was produced primarily by Kel-P, along with production from Benjamz, Dre Skull and Skrillex, among others. The album features guest appearances from Jorja Smith, Jeremih, Damian Marley, Zlatan Ibile, Angelique Kidjo, Serani, M.anifest, YG and Future. It was supported by eight singles, including "On the Low", which won Viewers' Choice at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, "Killin Dem", which won Song of the Year at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, among other awards; and "Anybody", which Burna Boy performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Afrobeats, or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing out of Ghana and Nigeria. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the 'Afrobeats' umbrella.
Julian Nicco-Annan, better known by his stage name Juls, is a British-Ghanaian record producer, disc jockey, and musician. He is considered one of the pioneering producers of African music in the diaspora, particularly in Afrobeats circles. He is best known for the production of songs like Bankulize and "Skin Tight" by Mr Eazi which accrued over two million views on YouTube; "Feel Alright" by Show Dem Camp, Rudebwoi Love by Stonebwoy and Gwarn by Burna Boy. He has collaborated with labels like BBnz Live, Toko Beatz, Stereofly Records, Cosmic Harmony, and Lost Ones and worked on A&R for Mr.Eazi's Life is Eazi album.
The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2022 in African music.
Afro Nation is an annual three-day music festival produced by Live Nation, Event Horizon, Smade Entertainment, and Memories of Tomorrow. The festival was founded by Obi Asika, and Smade, in association with BBC 1 Xtra, in 2013. The platform was established to bring together the best African artist in Afrobeats, Hip hop, RnB, Dancehall, Amapiano, Afro House and more. The festival was nominated in the Best Overseas Festival category at the 2019 UK Festival Awards.
NATIVELAND is an annual music festival in Lagos, Nigeria, and organized by The Native. The platform was established to bring together the best of pop culture, music, art, food, style, sports, and education in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Global Music Awards Africa is an annual award, presented by Smart Focus Media. GMAA honors outstanding musical accomplishments in Africa, with the goal to discover the next African star. The first edition was supposed to hold on 6 March 2021, at Accra International Conference Centre in Ghana. Due to COVID-19 regulations in Ghana, it was held virtually on 20 March 2021, at AICC. The most recent ceremony was held on 16 April 2022 at Lagos Oriental Hotel in Nigeria.
Adesegun Adeosun Jnr, popularly known as Smade, is a Nigerian-born British event promoter, creative industry expert and entrepreneur.He is co-founder and CEO of Afro Nation, an annual music festival established to bring together the best African artists in Afrobeats, Hip hop, RnB, Dancehall, Amapiano, Afro House and more. He is also the founder of Smade Entertainment, a UK-based entertainment company.
"No Wahala" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer-songwriter 1Da Banton, released in 2021 and re-released in 2022 as a remix featuring Kizz Daniel and Tiwa Savage by Squareball Entertainment. It was written by 1Da Banton and produced by Blaisebeatz. The song became a hit and went viral on TikTok, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs charts.
Joshua Nkansah popularly called Joshua Moszi is a Ghanaian guitarist and composer. In 2021, he received a certificate from the Grammy Awards in appreciation of his work as a composer on Angelique Kidjo's Mother Nature, which took home the award for best global music album at the 64th Grammy Awards.