It may look like a coincidence but it is not. The richest musicians in Africa and in the world are both black artistes. In Africa, Davido from Nigeria is leading the pack of richest African musicians with total revenue of 2.3 billion dollars followed by Wizkid worth 125 million dollars and Black Coffee with 16 million dollars. Fortunately popularity and wealth are two different things.
American rapper Jay Z is the wealthiest music artist in the world with Forbes magazine estimating his net worth at 2.5 billion dollars in 2024. According to the figures, Davido is the second richest musician in the world.
Unfortunately, the most popular musician in Africa is not the richest one. Burma Boy from South Africa is topping the list of most popular African musicians in 2024 while the crown of best artist went to South African singer Tyla who shined at the Grammy Awards this year. He won the title of Best African Music Performance Awards. T22 year-old outshone notable Nigerian contenders, including Davido, Asake, and Burma Boy.
According the latest information on the subject, in 2024, the African music scene continued to thrive with a diverse array of talented artists making waves not only on the continent but also on the global stage. The 10 top African nations that produce the best music are ranked as, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo Democratic, Benin, and Senegal.
The history of African music is both complex and enthralling. Its modern version is particularly fascinating judging by the global acceptance it is currently enjoying and the commercial success that has benefitted both the musicians and the music industry in the country in particular.
African music is as diverse and as huge as the continent itself. As a continent, Africa is home to the largest collection of arts and culture. Its music, both traditional and modern has been the joy of the international music for a long time now. By Arican music we mean, “The musical sounds and practices of all indigenous peoples of Africa, including the Berber in the Sahara and the San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoin (Hottentot) in Southern Africa. The music of European settler communities and that of Arab North Africa are not included in the present discussion.”
African music has a long and vibrant history. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “It is widely acknowledged that African music has undergone frequent and decisive changes throughout the centuries. What is termed traditional music today is probably very different from African music in former times. Nor has African music in the past been rigidly linked to specific ethnic groups. The individual musician, his style and creativity, have always played an important role.”
According to another source, African popular music is a hybrid of the music of Africa’s towns and cities. It has most often maintained the core principles of African music while incorporating diverse stylistic influences, including European, African American, Latin American, and Middle Eastern traditions. The pioneers of African popular music were often migrant workers such as sailors, clerks, miners, and railway men drawn into the expanding colonial economies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
European record companies made commercial recordings of African popular music as early as the 1920s, and the subsequent development of popular music styles has been strongly influenced by the electronic mass media. The international popularity of African music increased in the 1980s, in part because of the participation of African musicians on albums by popular Western music stars such as Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, and David Byrne.”
Contemporary African music is a blend of both traditional, modern as well as a combination of Western music. Modern African music, known as popular music is also heavily influenced by foreign genres and styles. “In common with the rest of the world, Africa was strongly affected by the instrumentation, rhythms, and repertoire from the Americas during the 1920s and ’30s, as radio and records brought new messages and ideas across the Atlantic Ocean. By the early 1960s, in parallel with each nation’s political independence from European colonialists, bandleaders across Africa modified their repertoire to accommodate adaptations of local folk tunes.
In many cases, the bands’ electric guitars, amplifiers, saxophones, and drum kits were the property of hotel and club owners, who employed musicians in much the same way they did waiters and cooks, hiring them to play danceable music for up to eight hours every night.”
Whenever we speak of modern African music, we think of Nigeria and Nigerian modern music and a musician called Kuti Fela, the precursor of a new genre known as Afrobeat. “Nigerian musician and activist who launched a modern style of music called Afro-beat, which fused American blues, jazz, and funk with traditional Yoruba music.”
The rise of contemporary Nigerian music is considered a very recent phenomenon that coincided with the rise of young musicians who adopted the latest Western musical genres and blended it with Nigerian traditional vibrations that have made it globally influential and commercially successful. This has led to the emergence of a vibrant music industry in the country. “Nigeria’s music industry is one of the largest and most vibrant in the world, generating over 2 billion dollars annually. It’s known for its unique sound that blends traditional rhythms with modern influences. Some of the world’s most successful artists come from Nigeria.”
According to sources, the Nigerian music industry started to grow very recently. In 2014, its annual revenue was only 26 million dollars and grew to reach 34 million dollars 2018. In the last six years it grew to reach 2 billion dollars in annual revenue. This is indeed a phenomenal growth by any standards. The second biggest music industry in Africa is the South African one whose revenue is far behind that of Nigeria. Even at the global level, the Nigerian music industry is enjoying an enviable place. What is the rank of Nigeria’s music industry in the world?
“Launched in 2021, Nigeria already ranks 25th globally, with a daily stream contribution of approximately 5.8 million dollars. This rapid growth highlights Nigerians’ love for music and their growing adoption of streaming services.” for now, Nigeria is leading the pack in modern African music ranking, both within Africa and globally. It has become a pacesetter within a relatively short time and this should serve as an inspiration to other African countries that have rich music tradition but lag behind in their contemporary performances.
Ethiopia is one example of the countries that is lagging behind in its global ranking with its underdeveloped music industry. What can it learn from successful countries like Nigeria to play catch up? Nigeria’s success in the industry is largely based on language and history.
Most of the modern singers use English and local languages to produce a hybrid language used in the lyrics. English has a long history in Nigeria related to colonialism. This has allowed the music industry to penetrate the global market quite easily. But language by itself is not sufficient unless it is supported by a beautiful music tradition. And Nigeria has plenty of variety and quality as well as talented musicians.
The good news is that there are countries in Africa that have developed their music without using a foreign language and Ethiopia is one of them. The problem is that Ethiopian musicians are either too shy or less ambitious in their quest for global fame and fortune. This is one of the constraints the Ethiopian music industry is facing at present. What the industry needs at present is young, dynamic, ambitious, courageous and inventive musicians who are not afraid to access the international music world and are ready to learn from other experiences.
Ethiopian musicians who have a good to moderate command of English or any international language should be able to sing in that language and win foreign fans and foreign markets. The road to success might be long and arduous in this highly competitive industry but success can be achieved with commitment, hard work and dedication to music. A number of young Ethiopian musicians have already showed the way to global success, others will and must follow the lead to put Ethiopia on the African and global music map while earning fame and fortune in the process.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2024
