If your Threads feed looks anything like mine, you are hurriedly scrolling through several verbal boxing matches between mostly Nigerian artists & Afrobeats lovers and South African artists & Amapiano lovers. Before I jump into this topic, I encourage you to read my newsletters from two years ago, where I pondered what the future of Afrobeats and Amapiano would sound like, and how I don't love "afropiano".

The "Best African Performance" category at The Grammys was announced in 2023, with Tyla's "Water" winning the first ever award and Tems' "Love Me Jeje"—a R&B song, with an homage to Seyi Sodimu—winning the next year. For the latest 2025 ceremony, Tyla won again for her beloved rhythmic tune "PUSH 2 START" and it has the Global Black community in a true tizzy and African communities intensely dense. Davido, a true pioneer of modern Afrobeats, and one of my favorite artists ever, has been nominated every year and has yet to earn a win. Many feel his hit "Unavailable" was snubbed in 2023 and that this last year his collaboration with Omar Lay "With You" should have won because it's ✌🏽real✌🏽 afrobeats and "Tyla is pop music." This is the general consensus from the peoples' mouths, not mine. I actually can't say I agree at all.

First and foremost, The Grammys is not new to getting it wrong. For years, awards in Black genres like Hip Hop and Rap have been awarded to artists that Black communities have largely disagreed with or we have been snubbed in categories like Album of the Year (Give Beyonce her things for 2017!). Let us not forget just because this year we're finally feeling like these categories were awarded appropriately. Why would we expect one categorization of music from the most culturally diverse continent on the literal planet, Africa, to make sense in year one, two, three, or four? In my ideal world, there would be a specific category for Afrobeats, Amapiano, Highlife, Alte, etc. but that's not the reality we're living in. I don't know if I even expect an American award show to do its due diligence in understanding the diversity of African music and awarding it accordingly. I hate to say it.. but I guess we can dream?

Secondly, if you haven't noticed from my sets, I don't really listen to Pop music. So how then is Tyla one of my most played artists? She is so deeply rooted in her South Africanness, it shines in her tracks and makes way to larger communities without her compromising much of who she is in her music. If you watch Tyla's interviews, you've heard her say she's always dreamed of being the first African Pop star. Her music is Amapiano (African), it's soulful (African) and rhythmic (African) in a layered and multicultural way. Even her loudly proclaiming her mixed heritage and the story that tells of South Africa's apartheid past is as African as it can be (colonization!). I'm sure other African descendants with mixed heritage (*cough cough* African-Americans and Jamaicans and other Black Caribbean people can relate.) So how then is it fair to say she doesn't make African music?

I think the real issue here is Nigerian artists feel like their West African experience is not being represented, especially when you have an Afrobeats OG like Davido in a category with a newer artist like Tyla. For a while I've felt quite disgusted by the way African commentators and artists try to diminish "how African" artists like Tyla or Ghanian musician Moliy are because they create music that encompasses and sometimes challenges genre. It doesn't matter how much Zulu Tyla speaks in her music, or how much Moliy sings about living in Ghana, they somehow don't pass this invisible barometer for "real" Africanness due to making afro-fusion music. While I understand real arguments about colorism in the music industry, it feels like more of a dig that women are succeeding and finding ways to get far more eyes on African genres in ways that male artists haven't been able to in the last few years. The Afrobeats genre is in a true identity crisis right now. I understand everyone's frustrations with misunderstandings of what the genre is versus Amapiano, but we must chill tf out!

In my experience "With You" has been a huge success in African communities, at parties and such, but I've experienced "PUSH 2 START" energize parties full of Black people and when I've deejayed events with mixed crowds. At the American Grammy Awards, I can't say I expected them to look at what's been solely resonating in African communities only. Again, I understand the desire, but I don't think we're being real with ourselves thinking they'd have their ear to the streets in this way. Davido is really the holy grail of music to me and I have no doubt he will continue to win awards, likely even a Grammy one day. I don't think this particular award show gives him any more validation than his decades of hard work has already given him.

I actually think everyone is doing the colonizers' work with these heated back and forths. They are again attempting to flatten different music from Black people, essentially saying, "Here! Be Happy!" and leaving us to metaphorically duke it out with each other. If we truly think it's worth it, I say a push for more categories that draw firmer lines around African music genres and creation should be made so there's more opportunity for wins and more understanding of Blackness being complex everywhere, even and especially in Africa!

Do you have more thoughts on this? Let me know! If you can't tell, I'm intensely passionate about us seeing through the BS and continuing to push our sounds. Our collective future depends on it.

Let's Dance!

This Friday I'll be at the Willis (Sears, I'm old lol) Tower for a Black History Month celebration. The Metropolitan is a private club but this event will be for the public. Get your ticket!

I can finally share I'm playing my first set at Moneygun's Sidedoor this month! It's very important to me that Chicago has more places to hear a diversity of African music on any given night. You showing up will help these spaces continue to exist here—especially at a time where our beloved venues, like The Promontory, no longer exist. Get your free RSVP, share on social media, and send to a friend or two. I hope I see you there!

Welcome to the Dyasphere

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This season is all about more transparency. A fraught topic for me is how people perceive what being a working DJ is and the reality of being in this line of work. I've been vlogging so you all can see what a typical work week looks like for me. It's definitely not all glamorous, but I'm having so much fun bringing you all along!

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