In 2013, Afro-Beat is a genre of a new wave of pop/rap/African fusion. It is the music that supports global dance trends like Azonto and gives voice to a new African identity that has grown up within a broader cultural soundscape. Afro-Beat pulls from both tradition and modern conventions to forge a sound that hits you right in the lower back. Each tune encourages the kind of soul stirring movement that can only be attributed to blood of those who danced revolution and survival throughout the western coast of the mother continent.
I got my first taste of Afro-Beat while volunteering in Ghana the summer of 2012. I remember my first night at "Fish & Friends" a pub in Accra, eating Indomie and watching Serge and the boys dance. That summer my favorites were "Over Again" by Edem & "Chop My Money Remix" P.Square ft. Akon. Before leaving I was gifted a USB full of Afro-Beat hotness. Everything from WizKid to R2Bees to FuseODG. On campus, my Ghanaian brethren Vincent would indulge in random bouts of Azonto with me. We even recorded a video in the snow in an attempt to go viral.
I love an energized crowd. I love watching people give themselves to music, let it take them somewhere as real and as imagined as nostalgia. Afro-Beat does that, even in a relatively sedate London crowd. The GTBank sponsored Wande Coal concert started slow. The crowd was smaller (& younger) than expected but the music was good and I was in lovely company. While Caro had run to check on a friend, one of the girls standing next to us asked me a question about drinks at the venue. I answered her and watched her face light up (my words in red/thoughts in italics):
"I love our accent" "Where are you from?" I reply, "The states" "Where about?" "Atlanta" "Are you Ghetto?!?!?" "Usually people who sound like you are ghetto," she says with a look of excited admiration. I am stunned. What does she mean? Is she asking If am poor? I say "I don't know...maybe" "Oh, well I had a friend who sounds like you, and she, she was like ghetto" "oh." She goes on to ask where am I from again, this time targeting my country of origin. I say "well...Ghana in theory" She's a bit confused but doesn't ask anymore questions. Her friend says she thought I was Nigerian "Could be" I smile and nod back into my bubble and wait for Caro to return.
The crowd grew as we got closer to the headliner, and by that point it didn't matter. I was attempting to mimic the moves of the two all female dance crews that had graced the stage. Training my body to the new movements, this was not your typical twerkfest. It was a less sex-centric high powered movement of hips, legs, feet and hands. It was the creative genius of a body in rapid harmony with the music. All the varied dances and their respective "theme songs" reminded me a bit of the Snap Music craze of the mid-00s.
Wande Coal is more classic than contemporary. His carrier kicked of in 2008 under the tutelage of industry Heavyweights Don Jazzy & D'banj. Regardless he is still a respected and enjoyed presence throughout the Afro-Beat soundscape. During his set he brought out current international Afro-Beat superstar FuseODG. WonderTwin and Fuse have a special relationship and his performance was a complete surprise. His performance was great, but I was more enthralled by the show of love and excitement Caro put on in the audience.
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| From L-R: DJ Mika, Gabrielle (Music Mangment), Caro/WonderTwin, Me |
Two days later Caro was to event manage an Afro-Beat Showcase in Camden Town. My time in the audience was split between watching her run things and watching the performers. Same waist shaking energy this time in a more intimate setting. Caro graces every project she touches with excellence and professionalism. She has such a good spirit and it is well appreciated by her friends, artist, and clients. I am blessed to have connected with her. The concert ran smoother than smooth. The artist, some of them echoing performances they had given at the Wande Coal show, were energetic and the crowd responded beautifully.
That weekend foreshadowed the fieldwork I will be doing next term in Ghana. I am so inspired and entertained by this new cultural movement and I can't wait to merge my lived experience with it with all my anthropological insights. As Fuse say's "This.Is.New.Africa" and I am a grateful to bare witness.
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