From hip-hop and house, to techno and jungle, and more recent genres like grime and drill, Africa is the wellspring from which all contemporary Black sounds originate.
In 2020, the boundaries between these sounds have become increasingly blurred and experimentation has thrived. Drill has arguably been the greatest beneficiary; Headie One topped the UK album charts with an expansive drill project which draws on Afrobeats, R&B and trap elements, while the late Pop Smoke’s genre-blurring ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’ has just returned to the top of the Billboard 200.
This wave of experimentation is influencing the music being made across Africa too, as rappers explore new ways to express themselves. Western sonics are being fused with homegrown sounds and native languages, from the disenfranchised young men telling their truths over drill productions in Ghanian and Kenyan cities, to South African feminist icons laying rap verses over gqom beats. Here, DJ Mag highlights six exciting artists.