Lil’ Wayne, other U.S. artists see the power of Afrobeats and its audience

LIL’ WAYNE The music genre “Afrobeats” has become so mainstream, that “mainstream” artists, or those who are most likely from the U.S. and aren’t directly linked with the genre, want to celebrate the genre and the millions who love it. Afrobeats’ largest outdoor festival is Afro Nation, and once again it’s being held in Detroit, Michigan, this year (2024) from Aug. 17-18 at Bedrock’s Douglass Site. And while the lineup is mostly Afrobeats artists, this year, superstar Hip-Hop artist Lil’ Wayne will perform. So will Partynextdoor (who is from Canada), two artists that understand the power of getting in front of the Afrobeats audience. Some 40,000 people are expected to attend the two-day festival. Last year (2023), “mainstream” U.S. artists Latto and Ari Lennox performed at Afro Nation Detroit. And when Afro Nation was held in Portugal in July 2022, look who it attracted—Chris Brown and Megan Thee Stallion, who are from Virginia and Texas, respectively. Some of the U.S. artists are actually putting out Afrobeats tracks. Take “Sensational,” a summer 2024 jam from Chris Brown. One listen and you can hear the Afrobeats vibe, not to mention the song features Davido and Lojay, two Nigerian singer-songwriters. In 2022, Chris...