afrobeats

Drake Shifted The Sound Of Pop Music On “One Dance”

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It’s been roughly seven years since Drake released Views, an album that remained divisive upon its release yet foreshadowed his unparalleled commercial success. Coming off of a heated battle with Meek Mill that revealed the use of ghostwriters, Drake embarked on a mission to become the biggest artist of all time. Though his aspirations to become the biggest rapper came as a result, he took a leap of faith when he began the rollout. On April 5th, 2016, he released the two-piece EP consisting of “Pop Style” ft. The Throne and “One Dance.”

The former doesn’t necessarily rank high in Drake’s catalog. Jay-Z’s contributions were kept to four bars while Yeezy slid through with some extravagant flexes for her verse. However, “One Dance” became an unexpected success that undoubtedly defined Drake’s career. “One Dance” ushered in Drake’s formal takeover with assistance from Kyla and WizKid. With records like “Hotline Bling,” Drizzy showcased his versatility and his range within R&B. However, “One Dance” took him to global acclaim beyond the meme-inspiring single.

Drake’s “One Dance” Turns 7

Drake’s fusion of R&B with tones of dancehall and afrobeats undoubtedly shaped the sound of pop music moving forward. The mesmerizing production and the sample of Kyla’s “​​Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz remix)” pair perfectly with Drizzy’s smooth melodic performance and the accents of WizKid’s production. It’s hard not to acknowledge how plenty of the pop records that came after followed a similar blueprint. At this point, “One Dance” stands as an iconic anthem that, these days, feels like a blast of nostalgia. Last year, UK rapper Ardee sampled the song for “Hello Mate”

Beyond the anniversary of Drizzy’s classic #1 smash, the rapper is currently gearing up to hit the road for the It’s All A Blur tour. This summer, Drake and 21 Savage will be hitting the road across America and Canada for a co-headlining venture in support of Her Loss. Most recently, the rapper appeared at Dreamville Fest in Raleigh, NC for a joint set with J. Cole and brought out guests like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, and of course, 21 Savage. Revisit Drake’s “One Dance” above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments. 

Quotable Lyrics
Strength and guidance
All that I’m wishin’ for my friends
Nobody makes it from my ends
I had to bust up the silence

RZA Disagrees With Lil Duval Saying Afrobeats Being “The Death Of Hip Hop”

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Lil Duval’s recent tweet about Afrobeats has grabbed RZA’s attention. The genre has gained mainstream steam within the last few years, and it’s only reaching new heights as award shows filter in unique categories. Artists like Burna Boy and Tems are amassing global success, but Duval says, “Afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it.” The tweet caused a firestorm of reactions, and TMZ wanted to know RZA’s thoughts.

“I don’t understand that. What you mean by that?” the Wu-Tang icon asked. After receiving clarification, he issued a more flushed-out response. “Afrobeats is Hip Hop. They basically doing their form of Hip Hop. Just like Trap was Hip Hop, just like G-Funk was Hip Hop. It’s just their rendition. And you know what? They deserve a chance, just like the rest of us deserve a chance, for our music to be heard around the world, inspire, and feed families.”

RZA Weighs In On Podcasting In Hip Hop

The cameraperson didn’t want RZA to run off just yet. The photog also wanted to know his thoughts on Lil Duval saying that podcasting has become more important in Hip Hop than the actual music. “I think those people are on a different planet than us,” he replied. The paparazzo mentioned The Joe Budden Podcast. “Joe is being successful, N.O.R.E he’s being successful. They deserve that success. But at the same time, right, we just did the New York State of Mind Tour. No algorithms, no streaming. Sold out Hollywood Bowl and so many places.”

“Hip Hop is embedded within its culture, and nothing’s gonna stop that,” RZA continued. “So, we’re going to continue to grow and find other outlets and avenues.” Conversations surrounding the surge of Hip Hop podcasters were recently reignited during Noreaga’s appearance on Budden’s platform. The two joked about their peer launching podcasts but failing miserably. Budden went on to say that he likes to see those failures.

Joe Budden’s Explained His Thoughts On Hip Hop Podcasters Bowing Out

“Statistics show that most of you are failing. From 2018 up until now, podcast creation is down over half – more than half,” he said. “Y’all n***as is failing. I like it. As somebody who dedicated his life to podcasting, and I’m not leaving no time soon, I like when all of y’all jump in the race and bump ya head a few times and run away ‘cause there ain’t no money in it.”

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Lil Duval Claims Afrobeats Are The Death Of Hip Hop, Twitter Debates

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Comedian and rapper Lil Duval provoked a not-so-humorous debate on Twitter last night (February 19th), which caused a back-and-forth conversation regarding the longevity of hip hop. In his tweet, the Guy Code star wrote, “Afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it.” As a result, Duval sparked a heated argument amongst music lovers.

One user quickly snapped back with “hip hop will never die,” while another vocalized reassurance, explaining, “Afrobeats is a fad. It’ll come and go just like every other form of music that has tried to bite hip hop.” However, fans of the genre were not so happy with Duval’s statement, which even prompted pro wrestler EJ “the Judge” Nduka to respond. “We gon’ ignore those outlandish tweets you put out about your kid,” the Judge tweeted, “or we gonna focus on how uncultured you are?”

Duval Stirs The Pot Amongst Music Lovers

Deriving from Ghana and Nigeria, afrobeats has gained popularity as a genre that fuses together R&B, hip hop, dancehall, and house. Accordingly, Apple Music describes this category of music as “the infectious but indescribable sound of 21st-century Africa.” In recent years, artists like Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema have raised in popularity in North America, with the trio even performing during the NBA’s halftime show.

Twitter users were quick to jump at the differences between the two genres, showcasing how afrobeats and hip hop are not on the same playing field. “Hip hop and afrobeats will coexist, and we also bringing dancehall back, we the essence of music,” one user wrote. Another brought up the cultural significance of the genre by tweeting, “It stands to reason that the globally recognized sound of black people comes from Africa and not USA anyway. About time hip hop stopped representing us.”

Duval’s Past Tweets Receive More Backlash

As pointed out by angry commenters, this isn’t the first time the 45-year-old performer has sparked controversy. Duval was under fire after old tweets recently resurfaced containing uncomfortable comments about his daughter. Accordingly, the disturbing tweets (the same ones that the Judge referred to as “outlandish”) have only added flames to the fuel that angry music lovers are throwing his way.

Do you think that afrobeats threaten the existence of hip hop? Let us know in the comments down below. Make sure to check back later for more music and pop culture news updates.

Twitter Reacts:

The NBA Celebrated Africa’s Global Contributions With An All-Star Halftime Performance Featuring Burna Boy, Rema, And Tems

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The NBA has become more and more global in the past few years, incorporating a greater volume of international players from Asia, Europe, and especially Africa. In celebration of African contributions to the league (and the league’s partnership with FIBA in creating the Basketball Africa League), the 2023 All-Star Game Halftime Show featured three of Africa’s most prominent Afrobeats/Afropop performers: Burna Boy, Rema, and Tems, who were all introduced by the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, who is from Cameroon.

The show opened with Burna Boy, who played his hits “Anybody” and “It’s Plenty,” followed by a truly exuberant performance by Rema, who got the crowd hyped with energetic renditions of “Calm Down” and “Holiday.” Tems came out last to close things out with a huge set of her own featuring “Crazy Tings,” “Free Mind,” her verse from Wizkid’s “Essence,” and her verse from Future’s “Wait For U.”

They were all accompanied by dazzling visual effects, a dance team that incorporated both traditional and modern African dances, and a band that kept the vibe lively. And just when it appeared that things were winding up, Burna Boy returned for renditions of his megahit “Last Last.”

You can watch the performance above.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.