Afrobeat
noun
Af·ro·beat
ˈa-frō-ˌbēt 
: urban popular music originating in Nigeria in the late 1960s that emphasizes percussion rhythms and features elements of jazz and funk and lyrics which are often strongly political
Examples of Afrobeat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gospel, Afrobeats, 1970s funk, and Sudanese soul rub shoulders on songs full of joyful rhythms and diaspora stories.
—
Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024
Beyoncé honored the African diaspora and brought some friends with her, from the worlds of Afrobeats (Burna Boy, Tems, Tiwa Savage) and home (Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, 070 Shake).
—Jaelani Turner-Williams, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The band moved gracefully from Afrobeat grooves to soul-jazz balladry—including a handful of tracks from their upcoming second LP.
—Ryan Reed, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
His sound so far has been uncharacteristically dark and brooding for Afrobeats.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase has brought an array of genres to the Moody Theater in Austin over four nights, from hip-hop to música mexicana, urbano to Afrobeats, and beyond.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
The Nigerian singer-songwriter has used her lush amalgamation of Afrobeats, soul and hip-hop to become one of the leading female artists in the global Afrobeats boom of the early 2020s.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024
In 2019, Tiwa Savage, widely known as the Queen of Afrobeats, departed from Mavin Records after securing a publishing and distribution deal with Universal Music Group.
—Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Similarly, his entry into Afrobeats came through inspiration from his travels.
—USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2024
Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 5 Apr. 2024
Beyoncé honored the African diaspora and brought some friends with her, from the worlds of Afrobeats (Burna Boy, Tems, Tiwa Savage) and home (Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, 070 Shake).
—Jaelani Turner-Williams, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The band moved gracefully from Afrobeat grooves to soul-jazz balladry—including a handful of tracks from their upcoming second LP.
—Ryan Reed, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
His sound so far has been uncharacteristically dark and brooding for Afrobeats.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase has brought an array of genres to the Moody Theater in Austin over four nights, from hip-hop to música mexicana, urbano to Afrobeats, and beyond.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
The Nigerian singer-songwriter has used her lush amalgamation of Afrobeats, soul and hip-hop to become one of the leading female artists in the global Afrobeats boom of the early 2020s.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024
In 2019, Tiwa Savage, widely known as the Queen of Afrobeats, departed from Mavin Records after securing a publishing and distribution deal with Universal Music Group.
—Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Similarly, his entry into Afrobeats came through inspiration from his travels.
—USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Afrobeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1969, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Afrobeat
Cite this Entry
“Afrobeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Afrobeat. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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