AFRICAN

POPULAR MUSIC
The African Influence
on Contemporary
Music
By: Group # 3
AFRICA
 Known as the “Birthplace of All Popular Music
HOW THE AFRICANS INFLUENCED MUSIC OF FOREIGN
LANDS, SPECIFICALLY THE UNITED STATES:

 The Africans are spread in different parts of the world

because of the “African Diaspora”.
 African Diaspora = It is the forced and brutal
dislocation of millions of Africans into foreign lands
during the “African Slave Trade”;
= It is the global community of Africans and their
descendants living outside the African continent that
make up what is known today as the “African
Diaspora."
REASONS WHY AFRICA IS CONSIDERED THE
BIRTHPLACE OF POPULAR MUSIC:

 As Master Drummer Francis Awe of the Nigerian Talking

Drum Ensemble notes on the African Heritage
Network’s 1997 broadcast of “African Portraits” – “You
can still hear the root of African music anywhere in the
world today.”
 There are many diverse styles of Latin music – some of
which constitutes Afro-American musical traditions,
meaning, the elements of European, African and
indigenous music are fused.
 The music and dance forms of the African diaspora
(many Carribean and Latin American music genres like
rumba and salsa, as well as African American music)
were found to be in varying degrees on musical
traditions from Africa, and were brought by African
slaves.
 The African influence is central to Latin music and is the
basis for the Cuban rumba, the Puerto Rican bomba
and plena, the Colombian cumbia, the Brazilian
samba, the Equadorian bomba and Marimba music,
or the Peruvian Festejo, Lando, Negroide, Socabon,
Son de los Diablos, and Zamacueca, among other
styles.
 African musical elements are most prevalent in the
Brazilian religious music like can double and Cuban
Santeria.
 The African emphasis on rhythm is also important in
Latin American music.
 African music has been a major factor in the shaping of
what we know today as blues and jazz. These styles
have to some extent, borrowed African rhythms and
sounds that were brought by African slaves.
 African popular music is vast and varied. Most
contemporary genres of African popular music are built
on cross-pollination with western pop music.
WHAT IS AFRO POP?

 Afropop or Afro Pop is the term sometimes used to

refer to contemporary African pop music; this is usually
urban, electric dance music. The term does not refer to
a specific style or sound, but is used as a general term
to describe popular African music.
GENRES OF POPULAR AFRICAN MUSIC:
Afrobeat

 Afrobeat is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, High

Life, and funk rhythms, fused with African percussion
and vocal styles, and it is popularized in Africa.

 Characteristics of Afrobeat:
 big bands: a large group of musicians playing various
instruments (Fela Kuti’s band in the 80’s featured 80
musicians),
 energetic, exciting with high tempo and
polyrhythmic percussion.
 the same musical movements are repeated many
times.
 improvisation or performing without set music.
 combination of genres.
 vocals tend to be sung in Pidgin English; Kuti who
spoke perfect English regarded Pidgin English as the
language best understood across all of African’s
borders.
Apala

 Apala or Akpala is a musical genre, originally derived

from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a percussion-
based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it
was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The rhythms of apala
grew more complex over time, influenced by Cuban
music and eventually became quite popular in Nigeria.
Benga

 Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved

between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's
capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African
Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream
of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style
guitar and various kinds of Cuban dance music. There
were also popular folk songs of Kenya's Luo peoples.
Bikutsi

 Bikutsi is a musical genre from Cameroon. It

developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or
Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaoundé. It
was popular in the middle of the 20th century in West
Africa. It is primarily dance music.
Fuji Music

 Fuji is a popular Nigerian musical genre. It arose from

the improvisation Ajisari/Were music tradition, which is
a kind of music performed to wake Muslims before
dawn during the Ramadan fasting season. Were
music/Ajisari itself was made popular by Alhaji Sikiru
Ayinde Barrister.
Highlife
 Highlife is a music genre that originated in Ghana in
the 20th century and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria
and other West African countries by 1920. It is very
popular in Liberia and all of English-speaking West
Africa, although little has been produced in other
countries due to economic challenges brought on by
war and instability.
 Highlife is characterized by jazzy horns and multiple
guitars which lead the band. Recently it has acquired
an uptempo, synth-driven sound. Joromi is a sub-
genre.
Isicathamiya

 Isicathamiya is a type of secular a cappella choral

singing developed in South Africa by migrant Zulu
communities. The music became widely popular outside
of Africa in the late 20th century when it was picked up
and promoted by the world-music industry.
 Isicathamiya choirs are made up of mostly of basses,
joined by a couple tenors, an alto, and a lead voice.
Their sound is recognizable by the emphasis of the
bass voices.
Jit

 Jit , also known as jiti, jit-jive and the Harare beat, is a

style of popular Zimbabwean dance music. It features a
swift rhythm played on drums and accompanied by a
guitar. Jit evolved out many diverse influences,
including domestic chimurenga, Congolese rumba
and Tanzanian guitar styles. The genre was
popularized in the 1980s by bands like Chazezesa
Challengers, The Four Brothers and Bhundu Boys. Jit is
the only Zimbabwean fast beat.