‘Journey of a Billion Streams’: 4 Takeaways from Spotify’s new Afrobeats-Focused Website
Incredible insight, fun games & more.
In recent times, urban West African pop—aka Afrobeats—has gained huge appeal across and beyond the borders of the African continent, finding homes in both the African diaspora and foreigners with cultural ties to Africa and also entering and clinching hitherto rarefied spaces and awards. From 2Baba to Fuse ODG to Burna Boy to Rema, African artists have curated homegrown sounds that have resonated with the world and sparked the explosion of Afrobeats.
One of the major contributors to the growth of Afrobeats is streaming platforms. With the ease that technological advancements have created, commodities such as music have become easier to access and ensured that a song from an artist in Ghana or Nigeria or South Africa can reach a listener in London, New York, Paris or Tokyo. These streaming platforms, with their curated playlists and catalogue of songs, have taken African artists and their music straight into the homes of consumers.
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Spotify is one of those pivotal streaming platforms. Founded in 2006, Spotify entered the African market in 2018, first launching in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt before expanding into a 49-strong list of territories that includes South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola and Zimbabwe. In the same year, Spotify launched “Afro Hub” as part of its Global Cultures initiative, featuring a dedicated curatorial space for listeners to interact with Afrobeats via artist-helmed playlists and podcast, as part of the streaming giant’s plans to create a digital archive and resource for African music.
In celebration of the genre’s ascendant dominance, Spotify recently launched Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams, a dedicated infotainment website for everything surrounding the genre, from the past to the present. “There is no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is here to stay, and will only continue to shatter more ceilings. In 2023 alone, the genre has been played for more than 223 million hours with streams exceeding 7.1 billion on Spotify,” revealed Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “We created this site for both new and longtime fans of the genre, who would like to have a better understanding of how and where this explosive sound came to be.”
Going through the website, here are four takeaways from Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams.
ACCESSIBLE INTERFACE
Although the website isn’t fully updated, it is organised in a way that makes the information quick to understand. On the homepage of the site, there’s a timeline carousel for the Afrobeats genre, relaying information about Kennis Music’s emergence in 1998, the birth of Mo’Hits Records in 2004 and DJ Abrantee launching his radio station in 2011, among others.
The site also states its five pillars, which are Origins (the exploration of the origins of Afrobeats and the sounds that influenced it along the way), Evolution (Afrobeats’ evolution from its 90s sound to the current sound), Fusion (the different genres in Afrobeats as well as Afrobeats’ biggest collaborators), Cultural Export (a look at Afrobeats’ biggest moments on global stages) and Women of Afrobeats (exploration of key female figures and their contributions).
INSIDER INFORMATION
Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams provides data about the songs and artists in Afrobeats dominating the charts. This data, which will be updated on a biweekly basis, is based on Spotify’s user base and is intended to “share noteworthy findings and trends.” The data includes the Top 10 Afrobeats songs of all time, age group percentage listening to Afrobeats, top cities streaming Afrobeats and their most streamed songs, Top Female Afrobeats artists and Afrobeats emerging markets, among others.
There is also a curated selection of Afrobeats playlists and podcasts “that allow you to immerse yourself and develop a better understanding of the genre.”
A DOSE OF FUN
It’s not just serious stuff on the site. There are fun games planned in the form of quizzes and polls to test the audience’s knowledge about Afrobeats as well as deepen that knowledge in the process. There’s a quiz website visitors can go through, which reveals access to an exclusive Afrobeats playlist at the end. Visitors can also participate in a weekly poll, with questions being changed on a weekly basis, while a wordcloud activity rounds out the games tab.
A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS TO COME
This site portends good tidings for Afrobeats. By joining other stakeholders who are documenting the history and rise of the genre, Spotify is ensuring that there will be a great database of information for both Africans and foreigners to learn more about the genre, its roots, key players, accomplishments and future stars.
Visit ‘Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams’ here.
ICYMI: SPOTIFY WELCOMES CREATORS TO STREAM ON 2023
Asake Links With Tiakola On Gritty “BADMAN GANSTA”
Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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Ayra Starr Releases Her Sizzling Anthem, “Hot Body”
An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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Zulo Details His Evolution On New ‘Z’ EP
Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a series of gritty mixtapes that chronicled his upbringing, thrills, and connection to the community. Since his rebrand, he’s steadily grown into a renowned voice in South African Hip-Hop, regarded for his storytelling, cultural homage, and genre fusion.
Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”
Listen to ‘Z’ here.
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