Afrobeat
noun
Af·ro·beat
ˈa-frō-ˌbēt 
: urban popular music originating in Nigeria in the late 1960s that emphasizes percussion rhythms and features elements of jazz and funk and lyrics which are often strongly political
Examples of Afrobeat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Usher to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2024 BET Awards
Artists from all genres will perform:
Every genre of music — rap, hip hop, pop, Afrobeats, country and more — will have its moment on stage tonight.
—
Tanisha Bhat, Peoplemag, 30 June 2024
Aside from its consumption potential, the Nigerian diaspora’s influence has spread worldwide in the fields of sports, fashion, film and music, particularly Afrobeats, which emanated from Nigeria, Ghana and the U.K. in the 2000s and 2010s.
—Sofia Celeste, WWD, 27 June 2024
The party will start at noon and include music by the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra and some special DJ sets by Eduardo from Vinyl Vagos, a community mural, speeches, games and food.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Country is to Cowboy Carter what Afrobeat and baile funk were to 2011’s 4; what dancehall and rock were to Lemonade; what triplet raps were to the Jay-Z collab Everything Is Love; what the entire continent of Africa was to The Lion King: The Gift; and what ballroom culture was to Renaissance.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2024
Covering Al Green and collaborating with members of Parliament-Funkadelic, Talking Heads embraced R&B and Afrobeat influences while exploring more futuristic sounds and abstract lyrics on a trilogy of classic albums with British producer Brian Eno.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 May 2024
Tomorrow Comes the Harvest began in 2018 as a collaboration between Mills and the Afrobeat originator Tony Allen, Fela’s longtime drummer.
—Mike Rubin, New York Times, 15 May 2024
The project includes an array of sonic elements from Afrobeat and Afropop to amapiano to R&B, gospel, and hints of mainstream trap and pop.
—Emanuel Okusanya, Variety, 7 May 2024
Just like for Afrobeats right now, many of us don’t really work together.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Tanisha Bhat, Peoplemag, 30 June 2024
Aside from its consumption potential, the Nigerian diaspora’s influence has spread worldwide in the fields of sports, fashion, film and music, particularly Afrobeats, which emanated from Nigeria, Ghana and the U.K. in the 2000s and 2010s.
—Sofia Celeste, WWD, 27 June 2024
The party will start at noon and include music by the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra and some special DJ sets by Eduardo from Vinyl Vagos, a community mural, speeches, games and food.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Country is to Cowboy Carter what Afrobeat and baile funk were to 2011’s 4; what dancehall and rock were to Lemonade; what triplet raps were to the Jay-Z collab Everything Is Love; what the entire continent of Africa was to The Lion King: The Gift; and what ballroom culture was to Renaissance.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2024
Covering Al Green and collaborating with members of Parliament-Funkadelic, Talking Heads embraced R&B and Afrobeat influences while exploring more futuristic sounds and abstract lyrics on a trilogy of classic albums with British producer Brian Eno.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 May 2024
Tomorrow Comes the Harvest began in 2018 as a collaboration between Mills and the Afrobeat originator Tony Allen, Fela’s longtime drummer.
—Mike Rubin, New York Times, 15 May 2024
The project includes an array of sonic elements from Afrobeat and Afropop to amapiano to R&B, gospel, and hints of mainstream trap and pop.
—Emanuel Okusanya, Variety, 7 May 2024
Just like for Afrobeats right now, many of us don’t really work together.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Afrobeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Afrobeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Afrobeat. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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