Luaka Bop is a New York–based record label founded by musician David Byrne, former lead singer and guitarist for the art rock–new wave band Talking Heads. What began with Byrne making cassettes of his favorite Tropicália tracks for his friends became a full-fledged record label in 1988 after Byrne received a solo artist deal from Warner Bros.
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's rights activist and traditional aristocrat Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
Louis Albert William Longomba, known professionally as Awilo Longomba, is a Congolese soukous singer, composer, drummer, songwriter, dancer, and producer. The second child of Vicky Longomba and maternal uncle of French player Claude Makélélé, Longomba is known for his avant-garde "techno-soukous" and performances.
Kehinde Lijadu and Taiwo Lijadu were identical twin sisters from Nigeria who performed as the Lijadu Sisters from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. They achieved success in Nigeria, and also had a more modest success in the United States and Europe. Described as a West African version of the Pointer Sisters who mixed Afrobeat sounds with jazz and disco, they retired from the music scene in the late 1980s, reforming and performing sporadically during the 2010s up until Kehinde's death in 2019. They were the cousins of the popular Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.
Living Thing is the fifth album by Peter Bjorn and John, released on 30 March 2009 in the UK and 31 March in the US. Much darker and more experimental than their previous album Writer's Block, Living Thing expands the sound of the group by taking more cues from hip-hop and electronic music, in particular the work of African electronic funk musician William Onyeabor. Three singles were eventually released from the album: "Nothing To Worry About," 'It Don't Move Me," and "Lay It Down."
William Ezechukwu Onyeabor was a Nigerian funk musician and businessman. His music was widely heard in Nigeria in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite his success, he remained an enigmatic, private, and reclusive figure.
Jude Lemfani Abaga, commonly known by his stage name M.I Abaga, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition in 2006 with the popularization of his track "Crowd Mentality" in his home city of Jos. His debut studio album, Talk About It, was introduced in 2008, followed by MI 2: The Movie in 2010. Subsequently, he unveiled his third studio album, The Chairman, four years later. Additionally, Abaga released the playlist Rendezvous in February 2018, followed by A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl, in August of the same year. He released "The Guy" album in 2022.
Michael Collins Ajereh, known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He founded the record label Mavin Records in 2012, for which he is chief executive officer (CEO) and has signed artists including D'Prince. Prior, he co-founded Mo' Hits Records with D'banj in 2004, and was an in-house producer for Kanye West's GOOD Music from 2011 to 2015.
David Adedeji AdelekeOON, who is known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most important Afrobeats artists of the 21st century, and is credited alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid for popularizing the genre globally.
The Atomic Bomb! Band are a touring supergroup who play the music of Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor. The core group is music director Ahmed Gallab and his band Sinkane, Alexis Taylor, Pat Mahoney, Money Mark Lekan Babalola and Jas Walton.
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu , who is 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 Atlantic Records in the United States to release his third studio album, Outside (2018).
Sinkane is a Sudanese-American musician who blends krautrock, prog rock, electronica, free jazz and funk rock with Sudanese pop. He is signed to City Slang Records.
Segun Arinze is a Nigerian actor and singer.
Bantu is a 13-piece band based in Lagos, Nigeria. Their music is a fusion of Afrofunk, Afrobeat, highlife and Yoruba music. The group features multi-instrumentalists and singers who perform as a collective.
Who is William Onyeabor? is a 2013 compilation album by William Onyeabor released by Luaka Bop. The music was compiled by Uchenna Ikonne and was the first official re-issue of his music. Metacritic described the album as receiving "Universal acclaim" with Pitchfork citing it as one of the "best reissues" and NPR listing it as one of the best albums of 2013.
Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, known professionally as Zlatan Ibile, is a Nigerian rapper and singer. He is the chief executive officer and founder of Zanku records. In 2014, he won the Airtel-sponsored One Mic talent show held in 2014, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Afrobeats 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 majorly out of Nigeria. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
Ahmed Ololade, known professionally as Asake, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is signed to YBNL Nation and Empire Distribution. His stage name "Asake" is his mother's name.
Gbubemi Wisdom Ogholaja,, widely known as Carterson, is a Nigerian alternative hip hop rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is known for the release of his 2019 project titled "Like Rihanna," which debuted on 7 August 2019. It earned him a spot on the Soundcity TV and MTV Base new releases Afrobeats charts.
Like Father, Like Son is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Charles Onyeabor which was released on 7 November 2023. The album comprises twenty tracks and was recorded in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Igbo and Italian. Consisting of genres; rhythm and blues, funk, Afrobeats, hip hop, dance and highlife, Like Father, Like Son explores themes "such as gratefulness, solemnity, appraisal, encouragement, pride, life of the party, and regrets, love, heartbreaks, amongst others".
