Video: D’banj, Snoop Dogg and the Afrobeats Moment that Sparked Change
Fourteen years after D'banj's Snoop Dogg co-sign, Afrobeats has truly gone global. OkayAfrica highlights the major moments in that journey.
As OkayAfrica marks our 15th anniversary, we're taking a look back at 15 defining African moments of the past 15 years that deserve to be remembered, and the impact they've had. In chronological order, here's Moment No. 3.
The ceiling for Afrobeats entering the 2020s looked astronomically different to what anyone could have imagined a decade earlier. In 2011, when Snoop Dogg rapped in his trademark smooth flow on the remix of D’banj’s “Mr Endowed” and appeared in the music video, it was a huge moment that offered a glimpse into the level of stars Nigerian and African artists would be rubbing shoulders with.
Five years later, Wizkid contributed the biggest hit song in the world; another five years and Burna Boy won a historic Grammy. Today, international labels cater to African artists, world tours are sold out by the continent’s stars, and Afrobeats is an undeniable force across the globe.
Watch the video below for more: