pan-Africanism1 , these celebrities are using music to bridge the gap between Africa and the West
In a world of diverse cultures and heritage, it is only appropriate that there are collaborations every now and then for a change. After all, variety indeed is the spice of life.
Apart from the obvious fact that so many spheres of life abroad are influenced by life in Africa, the music scene is one of the beneficiaries of these collaborations and the world cannot get enough of it. Although the likes of Akon and Snoop Dogg have in the past collaborated with artists from Africa, there was still a huge gap.
In recent times, however, the desire by foreign artists to reach out to their African counterparts has been evident. Below we highlight artistes abroad who are recently bridging the gap to Africa through musical collaborations.
CIARA
Ciara created a ruckus among her African fan base when she announced her collaboration with Nigerian afrobeats sensation Tekno. She has since released the audio and teasers for the video which is scheduled to be out soon.
This is not the first time both artistes have collaborated with other foreign acts, however, this is notably one of Ciara’s first major collaborations with an artiste from Africa.
DRAKE
The popular Canadian artiste has an affinity for collaborating with artistes from Africa. Very notable among these collaborations are with Nigerian Starboy Wizkid on his single “One Dance” in 2016 and in Wizkid’s single “Come Closer” in 2017. Earlier this year, he was featured on Tekno’s single “Bad girl’’ and is set to have more collaborations in the future.
MAJOR LAZER
“Particula”, which was one of the most interesting releases of 2017 was a well thought out collaboration of the best in Africa and worldwide. Major Lazer joined forces with DJ Maphorisa and Nasty C from South Africa, Patoranking and Ice Prince from Nigeria as well as Nigerian-American singer Jidenna. The song is still popular and enjoyed all over Africa.
ED SHEERAN
The famous British crooner Ed Sheeran has on more than one occasion expressed his interest in the afrobeats trend across Africa. He travelled to the West African country of Ghana and sampled sounds for his studio album “Divide” which eventually produced a song entitled “Bebia beye yie”. He also joined forces with Fuse ODG and Mugeez on “Boa me” on which he sang in fluent Twi Language; one of the languages spoken in Ghana.
FUSE ODG
