atlanta music tagged interest

There’s an inevitability when it comes to the sounds of afrobeats and amapiano music. As the upbeat rhythms, energetic melodies, signature drum beats, and inventive productions command a speaker’s sound waves, the sounds born out of West and South Africa have the power to create a bubble of magic in a matter of seconds. That magic is felt in every lyric or shout of joy bursting through lips. Every point toward the sky or a friend. And every bounce and shake of the shoulders down to the soles of the feet.

What were once just terms echoed through the streets of Nigeria and fostered in the townships of South Africa are now global treasures with heavy influence. Spotify studies spell out that influence, showing that afrobeats was streamed over 14 billion times and amapiano was streamed over 1.4 billion times in 2023. The music is leading the music charts, with artists such as Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Rema, Ayra Starr, Tyla, and Uncle Waffles among the many who have pioneered and popularized the genres.

Many are finally catching up to what people in the continent already knew— that the music of Africa, in all of its distinctions, is unique and unparalleled. At the center of its rise is Atlanta, the mecca for Black culture that has become a second home for many in the diaspora and a galvanizing hub for the genres. Thanks to the many tastemakers and DJs across the city, afrobeats and amapiano are solidifying their strongholds in the music world.

The Soul of Afrobeats

The notorious red lights are dim, and the sectioned couches that line the inside of Red Room are nearly empty in the early evening save for those who come in to grab a bite to eat. But in just a few hours, the space comes alive with a set of afrobeats hits spun by local DJs in a rotating booth and live talking drum and saxophone performances.

People order Nigerian dishes and drinks over music as a spectacle of dancing bodies (which may or may not include a famous Nigerian artist or two), LED robots and a notorious dancing gorilla suit surround them. That’s a typical night at Red Room, a popular party spot and Nigerian restaurant located on the diverse corridor of Buford Highway.

At the head of it all is business owner Samuel Omidele, also known as Mr. Soul.

There’s a running joke: if you want to “party with the Africans,” you must head to Buford Highway. But that joke holds weight, and for many, Buford Highway’s reputation as the go-to for partying to afrobeats is synonymous with the name Mr. Soul. The entertainment brand began in 2005 in the unlikely city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Omidele owned a first-of-its-kind afrobeats radio station. The brand grew and later caught the interest of Nigerian superstars such as 2Baba and Davido, who Omidele said encouraged him to bring the culture of Mr. Soul to Atlanta in 2018, a city where the genre was already making waves.

From his radio station to Mr. Soul’s Bistro and Cafe, his intimate and lively late-night restaurant that rebranded and expanded into Red Room in 2023, Omidele said he has been at the forefront of the rise of afrobeats for the last 20 years. Through his desire to platform young talent and provide quality entertainment and food, he’s created a social hub for many in the African community.

“I feel like it’s a blessing on its own because I put my own little effort into this community, the growth of afrobeats and the growth of the artists themselves,” Omidele said.

As a result, he said he’s amazed but not surprised by the genre’s success in America. He described the sound of afrobeats and its worldwide appeal as “spiritual” and attributes its rise to decades of hard work.

“We’re happy that we are seeing the fruits of our labor. We’re seeing the results of what we have pushed out there. When you plant a seed, you expect to see it grow, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing right now. We’re not relenting; we’re not backing down.

“I’m really excited that we’re part of this journey. Especially in Atlanta, we are playing our role in making sure that afrobeats culture is heard loud and clear.”

Amapiano’s Ground Zero

DJ Kash, Bamba Tuesdays’ curator, plays a similar but different role in amplifying the sound of amapiano. Amapaino translates to “the pianos” in Zulu and is a relatively new subgenre of house music that reached its cultural peak around 2019.

Bamba Tuesdays is a popular weekly amapiano experience curated and created in May 2022 by DJ Kash, born Chener Dieudonne.

From Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning, the dim music gallery on the second floor of the Afro-Carribean restaurant Rock Steady becomes a bustling dance floor. In just two years, the event has become a sold-out event that rarely fails to garner long lines and attract celebrities from America to Nigeria and South Africa.

For the Haitian-born Brooklynite, who was a staple of the V-103 radio station in the early 2010s, amapiano is a spiritual feeling that guided him away from his growing unhappiness in DJing hip-hop music into playing a genre that he said moved him. When the team at Rock Steady reached out to DJ Kash about curating a weekly amapiano night, he knew it was the perfect avenue to create an authentic amapiano party, the likes of which he hadn’t yet seen in the country or Atlanta. Soon, the city became what he called “ground zero” for amapiano in the United States.

“The thing about Atlanta is that it makes everything flourish. Atlanta already is a superstar city,” Kash said. “The reason why I say it’s ground zero [for amapiano] is because when the ‘who’s who’ of the industry want to learn about amapiano, they come to Atlanta.”

DJ Kash leads the charge for that learning experience with help from his partner-in-crime, DJ Millz. During the sets, which he said are unplanned, the duo is often surrounded by a high-energy crowd as people vibe to the piano synths and log drum basslines of amapiano in the space packed from wall to wall. Still, DJ Kash controls them through it all, from chants calling on the ancestors to dance moves that have taken over social media.

Nowadays, where there’s afrobeats, there’s amapiano, but DJ Kash’s goal is to dominate the space with predominately amapiano music. Through deep research into the music and its key artists, he said he was able to create a genuine experience that has received the nod of approval from native South Africans themselves.

“They’re pleasantly surprised. That’s always a blessing when the people from the source give you the head nod like you’re doing a good job.

“To see the support is just overwhelming.”

Afrobeats Creates Community

The rise of afrobeats and amapiano music has led to a surge in cultural events showcasing and embracing African talent and culture, especially in Atlanta. While it’s creating safe spaces and gathering spots, that growth has also shone a spotlight on the importance of building community, which is often led by Atlanta’s youth through party entertainment services such as Crwn Entertainment.

Founded by Victoria Olaogun, Boluwaji “BJ” Omodele and Olumide Omolayo in the halls of Georgia Tech in 2020, the trio of Nigerian creatives has curated events such as themed day parties, cyphers featuring local talent and brand/ art showcases, all with afrobeats music at the forefront. From scratch, they’ve created a social space that encompasses Nigerian culture of music and a good time.

“As a DJ, that’s very important for me. One of our goals is to spread afrobeats in Atlanta and bring awareness to the culture,” said Omolayo, a DJ and music producer who also goes by DJ Olooo. “So, anytime we do events, we always make sure our culture is always represented. Music is a big part of that, but also through the food or vendors that we put at our events to showcase the brilliance of Africa.”

Omodele said the rise of afrobeats has given Crwn more exposure and been beneficial to the company, which has evolved and expanded since its inception to create more of an impact outside of Atlanta. Through their events, they’ve created a web of networking relationships with other young Africans that has allowed them to continue the trend of platforming local talent — which often includes Nigerian musicians and DJs. So much so that the trio said people from different states have reached out for ways to create their own African-based entertainment companies.

“It’s been a lovely thing that we’ve put together,” Omodele said. “We’ve always been open to supporting people. Relationship building is one thing that we see at our events, and that’s a big thing that we’ve always focused on, whether it’s a party or game night. That’s something we’ve always harped on — ensuring that networking aspect is there.”

For young Africans in the diaspora, many of whom may only get to visit their native country once a year or are trying to better connect with their culture, Crwn said they believe the spread of afrobeats in Atlanta and curated events like theirs allows them to tap into a more profound sense of belonging.

“It’s been really nice to create something that brings other people joy. It’s not easy to get people to want to leave the comfort of their homes, so for them to come out and know that Crwn is going to put on a good show and they’re going to have a good time … I think it just pushes us to keep going and keep wanting to curate these vibes for them,” Olaogun said.

Laura Nwogu is the general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Voice. Contact her at LNwogu@theatlantavoice.com