Senegalese-American singer and entrepreneur Aliaune Damala Bouga, otherwise known as Akon has opened up about his early involvement in the rise of Afrobeats, describing how his influence helped shape the genre that has since grown into a global phenomenon.
In a recent appearance on Sherri Shepherd's talk show, the 'Lonely' and 'Smack That' hitmaker shared how his time in Africa-particularly Nigeria-played a pivotal role in the development of the now-celebrated West African sound. "…I was in Africa, and time just flew past. 2008 was my last official album, which was the 'Freedom' album," Akon recounted. "And then I produced the music for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
From there, I went to Nigeria.
What we created in Nigeria was what you see and hear now as Afrobeats."According to Akon, he and his team were among the first to invest in Nigerian talents at a time when the genre was still evolving. "Wizkid was the first Nigerian artiste that we signed back in 2008.
