Beyoncé’s ‘Gift’ and Making Afrobeats Globally Mainstream.

In the music industry, very few names measure up to the mainstream power and status of Beyoncé. A tour de force artiste, Beyoncé has cemented her place in history as one of the world’s greatest performers thanks to her award-winning discography, world-stopping Super Bowl performances, and a two-hour Coachella performance (which she got a $60 million Netflix deal from). For her latest venture, she was tapped to play Nala in the live-action remake of Disney’s The Lion King. Alongside her acting role, she also had the responsibility of executive producing an accompanying album for the movie, other than its regular soundtrack. In what she described as a “love letter to Africa,” the singer enlisted the biggest talents on the African continent for the album “The Lion King: The Gift.” They include Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Shatta Wale, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Wizkid, Mr. Eazi, Moonchild Sanelly, and Oumou Sangaré. Released on July 19th, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart with 54,000 units sold. The success of the album has led many to question whether or not Beyoncé is to be heralded for putting Afrobeats into mainstream focus. The answer is not so simple as while Afrobeats was already making waves before the album, Beyoncé’s massive platform will open up its biggest artists to a new level of mainstream success.

The global spread of the Afrobeats genre has been unprecedented with artistes gaining new ground every day. More people hear and appreciate the genre as a sound of its own, beyond being labeled as “African music.” In England, for instance, a majority of British artistes have embraced the Afrobeats sound so much that they have even picked up Nigerian slangs along the way. Artists like Wizkid and Davido have achieved staggering levels of mainstream success in England, having sold out some of its biggest arenas and constantly getting more radio play. The American market has however not been so quick to embrace the genre in the mainstream. Just recently, late-night shows, which feature major artistes every night, have begun to feature Afrobeats acts like Burna Boy and Wizkid. Radio play is not a permissive as it is across the pond, so while the biggest names are known, a lot of others remain relatively unknown in that market. It is these artists who, therefore, benefit the most from Beyoncé’s Gift.

While ‘The Gift’ has brought a lot of attention of African artistes, there is no denying the fact that these artistes are bonafide stars in their own right back at home and in many countries around the world. The majority of them were already recording mainstream success internationally even without the chart-topping diva’s help. The album has, however, shone a light on the best African talent in a way that places them right in the heart of mainstream music and pop culture. Tracks like “Brown Skin Girl” featuring Wizkid and “Don’t Jealous Me” featuring Tekno, Yemi Alade and Mr. Eazi have already begun spreading through US airwaves from Beats 1 Radio on Apple Music to local stations across the country. This sort of reach will open the African artistes up to many new listeners who may not have listened ordinarily. Also, its mainstream success means that the artistes will make a lot of money from royalties on each song they are featured on as they are given songwriting credits. In the US, the royalty rate from album sales is about $0.091 and songwriters also receive royalties every time their song is performed live or synched with visual media such as television, a movie or even a YouTube video. Beyoncé is therefore not only spreading the genre but ensuring its stars are well-taken care of.

Rather than focusing on chicken and egg arguments, the most important factor at this time is that Afrobeats artistes use this elevated platform to their advantage. Burna Boy already has, having released his new album “African Giant” fresh off the collaboration. Others must follow suit to ensure that the moment does not pass with nothing gained. Spreading the Afrobeats genre is no one-man’s responsibility, therefore, they must all ensure that they continue to push themselves further into the mainstream limelight with their music.