How Afrobeats has become an unstoppable musical force
Afrobeats, a popular Ghanaian music brand, is now firmly established in the U.S. with a loyal and passionate following. “People are getting the songs they want to hear,” says Afrobeats founder, Ebo. “A lot of American artists are taking notice of the songs we’ve got on our label.” In an environment with few viable local music brands, Afrobeats is one of the most highly sought after — and beloved — in the industry.
After a decade of playing the role of ambassador, Ebo is leaving the role to his business partners, who are spearheading a new wave of creativity in music production and distribution. “We had a lot of people come to us,” Ebo says. “When the labels realized we could do this, they came knocking.”
The first Afrobeats album, “In the Mix,” was released in early 2015 and produced by Afrobeats and Ghana-based M-Phazes & The Crew. Its songs were sung by the likes of Fally Ipupa, the singer known as “the mother of Afrobeats,” and R.K.M & The Kings of Electric. The album featured collaborations with many of the Afrobeats rising stars: Bia, J.B.L, M.I.C., B-Real, T.Y.A, and many others. After “In the Mix,” Ebo had been busy promoting the brand, booking shows, writing, producing, and distributing songs all over the world.
But before he knew it, Ebo’s music was reaching far beyond his homeland: “All of a sudden we were reaching people living outside of Ghana. We weren’t playing our songs in the clubs or markets — we were playing in the homes of people who wanted to hear the songs — a
