Afrobeat all sounds the same to me?

[UberEatsDriver]

I think the issue has to do with West African and Caribbean drumming patterns. Drumming patterns are the rhythmic root of a song. And many West African and Caribbean drumming patterns can be interchangeable, which speaks of their close cultural connection.

But to African American ears, the drumming patterns don't really come natural to us. Our rhythms are informed moreso by the boom bap hi hat that is the rhythmic root of a lot of hip hop music. And rhythmically there is a difference in the boom bap hi hat and afro-caribbean drumming.

It's one of the reasons why I couldn't get into reggae because the rhythms we're repetitive, boring, and not complex enough for my ears and I think for many African Americans, Afrobeats is the same way. We zero in on the drumming pattern (because it's noticeably different from the boom bap hi hat that we're accustomed to), without really noticing the other instruments and how they contribute to the sound.

I think on both sides, because we're so used to our respective percussion rhythms, we don't really pay attention to them in our music because they make up so much of our musical sound. But when confronted with others, we tend to notice and zero in on the others more. It's more pronounced.

I'm pretty sure the boom bap hi hat, central to most hip hop songs, makes hip hop sound repetitive and the same to Afro-Caribbean ears.

South African rhythms are a bit different however. The drumming is a bit more complex and add to that the incorporation of Afro-American derived House, their music comes easier to our ears.

I personally love Afrobeats so I don't have a problem with it. I tend to focus on the melody, singing, lyrics. Couldn't stand reggae growing up with a few exceptions. So I'm only speaking on what I perceive to be the same issues that I had with reggae, that other Aframs may be having with Afrobeats.

And I'm very aware Afro-beat rhythms are diverse and complex. But those who only hear the mainstream songs may not be aware.

If you want versatile reggae you should listen to dancehall music.

For example Vybz Kartel music all sounds much different from the next

 

[Noriega]

My sisters BF is Nigerian and gets pissed when I say this.

It’s the truth tho, but afrobeat is still heavy in my rotation. Definitely a vibe when I’m in the whip or got a shorty over

 

[Swahili P'Bitek]

Majority of African music isn't Afrobeats. Just because an African makes dancehall or RnB or hip hop doesn't make the genre change.

This is RnB from SA.

This is straight up dancehall, how is this afrobeats?

Early Burna Boy when he was still on that dancehall style heavy, that's the style that actually got him attention continentally before he switched up and showed his versatility.
And another thing, how is it that new Afrobeat artists, some of whom we've never heard of before are coming out with clean clean videos and audi quality that is unheard of even in the USA from underground, unknown Artists. The class of Burna and Wizkid we saw grow, these new people though, are they from money, or into money laundering or what?

 

[Astroslik]

Yep that’s him, he has mad potential go check out his latest album. Lagos city vice 2

Ohh yeah South Africans and housy jazz music is like pbj. They’ve evolved their sound so much from afro-house to gqom to amapiano. I don’t doubt they’ll come out with another sound within the next 3-5 yrs

Seems like Amapiano was derived from African American house music.

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

Seems like Amapiano was derived from African American house music.

You gonna have to talk to South Africans about that. If I remember the time line it goes
Afro house -> gqom -> amapiano

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

My sisters BF is Nigerian and gets pissed when I say this.

It’s the truth tho, but afrobeat is still heavy in my rotation. Definitely a vibe when I’m in the whip or got a shorty over

Did you go to page 2 of this thread

 

[Astroslik]

You gonna have to talk to South Africans about that. If I remember the time line it goes
Afro house -> gqom -> amapiano

I’ve talked to SA’s and they tell me they amapiano is definitely derived from house music, which was created by black folks in Chicago.

 

[JadeB]

Downloading every song example on Spotify while watching you nikkas argue

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

I’ve talked to SA’s and they tell me they amapiano is definitely derived from house music, which was created by black folks in Chicago.

If house music is your thing then check out their scene. It’s kinda interesting though how amapiano took off and gqom didn’t, that era came and went by so fast

 

[Complexion]

You could argue that stylistically a lot of genres have way more similarity that difference.

Being 90s hip hop kids with its crazy shifts and influences with wild creative imperative spoiled us in that sense because other genres are way more staid in their evolution and don't often veer from their lane in terms of instruments, arrangement, pace etc...

An old dude once commented on hearing a 45 minute House mix in the gym "That was a very long song"
He genuinely thought it was one track due to how little variation there was in the set because it all filtered into one lane. Same way I suppose all wine tastes like vinegar till you develop a palette that can differentiate but I get what you're saying OP.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

My sisters BF is Nigerian and gets pissed when I say this.

It’s the truth tho, but afrobeat is still heavy in my rotation. Definitely a vibe when I’m in the whip or got a shorty over

you just not exposed and that's why he gets annoyed, you are basing your views on very little knowledge. Americans are not used to being on the outside looking in when it comes to music. take a deep dive. don't walk on the surface.

 

[Biblical Goon]

How is this statement any different than for mainstream hip hop?

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

You haven't explored the genre enough if you think it all sounds the same.

Although I've noticed that a lot of afrobeats songs as of recent do use the same beat pattern and tempo.
But that's just recent.

yeah that shyt started when it became mainstreamed in the west

the old albums I listen to swing wildly between many different african sounds including very local traditional styles which I like.

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

You could argue that stylistically a lot of genres have way more similarity that difference.

Being 90s hip hop kids with its crazy shifts and influences with wild creative imperative spoiled us in that sense because other genres are way more staid in their evolution and don't often veer from their lane in terms of instruments, arrangement, pace etc...

An old dude once commented on hearing a 45 minute House mix in the gym "That was a very long song"
He genuinely thought it was one track due to how little variation there was in the set because it all filtered into one lane. Same way I suppose all wine tastes like vinegar till you develop a palette that can differentiate but I get what you're saying OP.

We might not see any evolutionary creative influence come to MAINSTREAM afro music for a while. They out there but I think it’s too futuristic/tribal for the general public to swallow. I’d argue some of the older tracks are even more evolutionary than the newer ones coming out like some other people itt said

 

[Complexion]

The mainstream by its very nature is formulaic. After all look what it did to hip hop when it went corporate and then look at the shadow that remains.

Its sad how the net made peeps globally ride trends instead of repping their local wave and generating something different but it is what it is.

Plenty of great tracks out there in genres you'd never expect if you expand your palette.