ECHOES ACROSS CONTINENTS: UNITING CULTURES THROUGH GLOBAL MUSIC FUSION
Music has been a universal language connecting people of different cultures, religion and race. The connection is becoming more evident with the increase in border penetration and connectivity between people across various regions of the world. The instrumentality of music has been a powerful force bridging the gap between different cultures from the pulsating rhythms in the African music genre to the melodious rhythms of the Western and Middle Easterners. In recent years, there has been a rise in the blending and merging of musical genres due to globalisation.
Originally with roots in African American culture, the genre R&B has been finding new expressions and a home in the African continent. The genre emerged from the melodious communities of African Americans who were mainly born and raised in the United States of America. However, in many prominent African countries such as Nigeria and South Africa, artists have over the years made an attempt to transform and blend this genre with theirs to create unique music that their fans and audiences could connect and relate to. Popular Musicians like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage and Muni Long have excelled in mixing R&B with other music genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano.
For example, ‘One Dance’ by Drake, a Canadian rapper and singer featuring Wizkid, a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and Kyla, a Filipino singer, gives a seamless union of elements of R&B with Afrobeat. ‘Made for me’ by Muni Long and Yumbs is a song that successfully knitted the soulful nature of R&B with Amapiano from South Africa creating a magical blend. Also, ‘Baddest’ by Burna Boy (Nigerian), Khuli Chana and Yanga (South Africa) is one that displays a perfect collaboration between South African and Nigerian artists known for Afrobeats and Amapiano respectively. This further iterate the power of music in promoting unity amongst diverse cultures.
Similarly, the steady rise of rap music has increased greatly in other regions of the world foreign to where it originated, that is in the black communities of the United States of America. Just like other genres, language has not been a barrier to the limit rap music can attain. Several artists all over the world have been able to localise rap music delivering it in diverse languages. A popular example would be a song by Nigerian artistes Reminisce, Olamide and and Phyno titled ‘Local Rappers’ with the lyrics of the song in the Nigerian local language, Yoruba and Igbo. Artists like Nasty C who is a South African have taken rap music to a different angle by including local languages, slang and cultural remarks. Also, French rappers like Jul, Ninho and Niska have also thrived in the rap world creating a reach beyond the walls of France.
While there have been a number of African artists embracing popular western originated music genres, several international artists have also blended their genres with African genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano. A number of American and English singer and songwriters have in some of their songs featured Africans and their music style in a bid to be more relatable to their fans from those regions. Some popular examples include the collaboration between Nigerian artist Rema and American singer and songwriter Selena Gomez in the song ‘Calm Down’. Also, artistes like Chris Brown have found a new home in Africa, collaborating with several artists such as Wizkid, Davido, Ayo Jay, Rema among others. Another example is the ‘Lion King: The Gift’ album by Beyoncé which was a blend of R&B, Hip-Hop and Afrobeats which featured several African artists and producers and sparked trends such as #brownskingirlchallenge. In this challenge, black women and girls were able to post pictures of themselves showcasing their skin colour as a thing of pride.
At its core, global music fusion is more than just about mixing different music styles, genres and lyrics, it is majorly about celebrating diversity and embracing the richness of cultural heritage. Musicians draw inspiration through this process from different traditions spanning the globe. They infuse their write-ups with elements that reflect the different identities of various communities. This is a result of a rich and unique beautiful texture of harmonies that resonates with their audiences worldwide, regardless of language barriers and gives all who listen a sense of unity. Global Music fusion serves as a powerful instrument which can be used to bring about cultural diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding. The collaboration between artists from different countries and backgrounds with varying experiences growing up tends to promote a sense of dialogue, empathy and mutual respect not just amongst the artists but from the countries and environments they represent.
Looking at the future and what it holds for this generation, there is a higher probability of an increase in interconnection around the world, giving global music fusion a limitless chance to continue evolving, flourish and uniting even more people and cultures with one another. The rise in technology and digital streaming platforms have provided unmatched access to both musicians and listeners to listen and explore various genre of musical traditions from different parts of the world. Global music fusion celebrates the beauty of cultural diversity while also giving strong empowerment to the elements of the universe that bind us all together as one. With the fusion of music, it is easy to see and discover that despite everything that makes us different, from our countries to culture, to style and even race, we all share common hopes, dreams and experiences as one people.
– Fredrick Igharo
