Okayafrica: Afrobeat x Afrobeats with Davido and Antibalas

July 29, 2016 nycfreeconcerts_4nf0ji Afrobeat, Lincoln Center 0

In this beat-driven doubleheader, Okayafrica—the source for “all that’s hot and jumping in the new African renaissance”—bridges the funk-infused Afrobeat popularized in 1970s-era Nigeria to the next wave of charttopping African club music. Brooklyn-based ensemble Antibalas opens the show in the pure Afrobeat spirit of the legendary musician and activist Fela Kuti. Then 23-year-old Nigerian artist-producer Davido, who Fader hailed as “the future of African pop,” takes over the stage, injecting his signature electronic “Afrobeats” into an exhilarating blend of traditional African music, hip-hop, funk, and pop.