Afrobeats: The Backstory. A Larvae That Metamorphosed : A Boombuzz Review

By aL Yhusuff

In the past when little or nothing was done in putting down accounts and records, Ayo Shonaiya took a bold step by documenting the history and emergence of Afrobeats as a genre of music that had just started to come up like a larvae before it metamorphosed into what it is today.

Having heard the title, Afrobeats: The Backstory, one might be confused and say, why did the documentation have to wait until 1999 to begin? Why isn’t Fela’s account stated?

Here is an explanation, in the words of Ayo;

“Afrobeat is Fela. Afrobeats is African pop music”.

Historians have it that Afrobeat is a genre that developed in the 1960s and 1970s, taking influences from Fuji music and Highlife, mixed in with American jazz and funk. Characteristics of Afrobeat include big bands, long instrumental solos, and complex jazzy rhythms.

The name was coined by Nigerian afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Fela Kuti and his longtime partner, drummer Tony Allen, are credited for laying the groundwork for what would become afrobeats.

This alone explains a lot and erases all levels of misconception, it informs us of the fact that Afrobeat is quite different from Afrobeats.

It’s quite an easy task making assumptions about history and the emergence of a culture but Ayo doesn’t thread in such light as he makes sure his documentary is fact-based. This could easily pass as a thesis because he backed his claims with proof and testimonies from witnesses.

Like Sound Sultan stated in the documentary;

“1998/1999 was when the shift came. That’s when we started vibing to a new sound”.

The project which is meant to educate and enlighten music lovers on the come-up of Afrobeats did perfectly as intended.

Ayo makes us see the beginning through the eyes of key players who state their accounts and experiences of how they began their journey in the world of Afrobeats, also one needs not forget that Fela’s Afrobeat was a major influence of this genre.

As they say, no work of art is perfect but Ayo Shonaiya’s work can be said to be perfect as it possesses the core elements of a documentary.

For instance, one of the essential elements of a good documentary is the story, and the storytelling in this documentary is faultless. The audience had an intellectual and emotional connection to what was displayed on the screen.

Furthermore, the documentary uncovers some hidden truths in the entertainment industry which only a little might be aware of. It also goes as far as answering questions which led to a quest of knowing more.

The picture quality was standard. Having been in the works for over 21 years, one might feel the quality of the video might just be of sub-standard quality but no, Ayo had to face a lot of technicalities to make it this brilliant. The audio quality was crystal clear as they were no interruptions or breaks in their voices while giving accounts.

Afrobeats: The Backstory is a documentary that answered a lot of questions whilst entertaining. This is a commendable piece and it’s important for lovers of the art to get to sit and watch this.

This documentary has done a lot by wielding answers and clearing certain doubts from the mind of the viewers, absolutely, this is brilliance at its peak.

More images from the premiere below

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