TRACE, the leading media group in Africa, continues to invest in producing original content offering the best of afro-urban content and announces the release of a new music documentary: “Afrobeats, from Nigeria to the world”. The two-part music documentary ‘Afrobeats: From Nigeria to the world’ retraces the socio-economic, historical and musical aspects of the biggest African phenomenon of the past 50 years.

Afrobeats is a multifaceted style of music initiated by Nigerian legend Fela Kuti. Today, the modern term Afrobeats, refers to a sound that has been adopted around the world and gained a ubiquitous presence on the radio, TV, social media and digital platforms around the world.

Afrobeats has achieved mainstream success outside of Africa, with big names in the music industry such as Drake, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Jidenna, MHD, Booba, Maître Gims and Major Lazer collaborating with African superstars. Apart from this, new generation key players such as Wizkid, D’Banj & Tiwa Savage are signing international record deals.

Questions arise: What exactly is Afrobeat? How did this music genre impose its style so rapidly? Where does it come from? Who are its founders? And most importantly, what does this new wave of sound mean for the future of the music industry?

In order to get answers to all of these questions, TRACE travelled for 4 years around Europe, Africa and the USA to collect over 40 testimonies from the movement’s key figures among whom are Davido, J Martins, Psquare, D’Banj, Bracket, Skales, Akon, Femi Kuti, Flavour, Jidenna, Yemi Alade, MHD, Niska, Sidiki Diabaté, Fuse ODG, Sarkodie, Wizzboy, Eddy Kenzo, Youssou N’Dour, Passi, Mafikizolo, Khuli Chana, Cassper Nyovest, Banky W and many others.