MY AFROBEATS MVP FOR 2022
Johnnie Walker did a lot to power the creative economy in Nigeria last year.
Nigerian music is all about energy, pure energy aimed at creating bliss for whoever comes into contact with it.
Afrobeats, the dominant genre of Nigerian sound, has fuelled the ambition and greatness of a generation to the world stage. It has been a relentless pursuit that has produced Grammy nights, Billboard records, and platinum plaques.
Nigerian artists are selling a million copies in America. Who would have thought Afrobeats could take it this far? The latest entry into the '1 million gang' is Asake.
2022 can be dubbed the year of Asake. In 12 months, the grill-wearing dreadlock pop star went from being an obscure figure to the most in-demand artist in the game. He rewrote the manuscript on moving from an underdog to a top dog in a year.
Luckily, I saw Asake perform in April last year, just before he went on an electrifying run that catapulted him to fame overseas that defied the odds.
In his tight set, Asake ran through his set with excellent showmanship. He was totally in sync with his dancers. After his performance, Asake was literally and figuratively gone.
In the coming months, the pop singer relentlessly released strings of hits and an epic album that sealed his position as the year's MVP.
On my way home after Asake's performance, something occurred to me that developed a few months later. The show, which Asake headlined, took place at Freedom Park in Lagos, a venue I have attended many times. On the day of this show, the park looked different- refurbished. The graffiti and paintings on the walls spruced the place up.
Life, music, and pop culture are all about connections, intrinsic links that make everything glued together. The refurbishment of Freedom Park and Asake's performance that night might not look connected, but you must look deeper.
Johnnie Walker's Walkers District Lagos party is the glue, the connector. The brand refurbished one of the critical arts & music hot spots in Lagos, which is rich in history. Then it got Asake to headline its concert at the crucial moment when he was about to become one of Nigeria's hottest Afrobeats exports.
It could have been a sheer coincidence, but more lines started to connect along the way. In my 2022 annual wrap-up, certain artists made my list. Victony and Odumodublvck stood out for me last year.
Victony had an exceptional year. Like Asake, he too was at the Walkers District Lagos party. A month after that gig, he released his well-received Outlaw EP. The EP defined Victony's success for 2022. By the time he performed at the Walkers District’s party in Port-Harcourt in September, Victony was on the precipice of global stardom as his runaway hit 'Soweto' from the EP started to climb the international charts.
In the capital city of Abuja, no name rings the loudest than that of ODUMODU BLVCK. The energetic rapper is known for his larger-than-life personality, big posse, and loud rap anthems.
After making a name for himself and impressing tastemakers, he got signed to Native Records in late 2022. Before inking that deal, he was on the stage of the first 'Walkers District' Party in Abuja in March.
Asake, Victony, and ODUMODUBLVCK performed at Walkers District Party just before they went to the next level.
The connection doesn't stop there. Another breakout artist in 2022 was the Ghanaian rapper Black Sherif who became a continental star thanks to his genre-bending style and debut. I was also privileged to see him perform an extended set at Island Block Party in December in conjunction with Walkers District.
By this time, I had made two conclusions; the Walkers District Party has its finger on the pulse of culture. The Walkers District Party knows the right artists to pick at the right time. It gives us a glimpse into the future by working with artists who go on to dominate and impact music culture.
Secondly, the Walkers District Party has become a community of sorts where music lovers and creatives can meet, express themselves and have fun.
To cap it all, JW supports artists with niche events. An example of this is Johnny Drille's 'Johnny's Room.' The annual concert is one of the standout events in Nigeria. JW is a partner of this event, proving yet again it is dedicated to true artistry and talent.
Johnny Drille's ‘Johnny's Room’ concert was one of the many shows I attended during last year's Detty December.
It's a new year, and I expect JW to continue to support the creative economy. Well, it already has. It has refurbished the Independence Tunnel in Maryland with a group of local artists known as ‘Tumi artists.’
In 2022, Nigerian music went on to achieve great things, and there are brands who have helped to make this a possibility that go unnoticed. One of them is Johnnie Walker and this should be applauded.
There was an ad that Johnnie Walker made last year, and it had Burna Boy (and his mom + a couple other creatives) which was superlative.
They try to connect with African artists/creatives on an intricate level (Their "NO LABELS" campaign series is truly a brilliant testament of that—or so I believe).
They deserve hella props for all the incredible work they've been doing. 👏🏾
And yeah, Odumodublvck went on a "rampage" in '22 (I wrote a piece about his turbulent wave to stardom somewhere).
Victony found his way through too! (I remember he got to headline his own outlaw event in Lagos, which was successful.)
But Asake really did had an amazing run. He had the year on lock—still does.