The journey of the Afrobeats isn’t complete without the storytellers, news makers/journalists. One of such is Sesan Adeniji.
Sesan Adeniji being on the cover of Simple Magazine‘s 2022 August Digital edition with the tag “A Journalist At the Forefront Of Afrobeats Evolution” gives credence to why he is one of the connoisseurs of Afrobeats culture.
In the interview with Simple TV / Magazine, he spoke about the evolution of Nigerian music pre the slave trade, and the era of returnee musicians. He also shed light on the birth of high-life up to the influence of the hip-hop generation. According to him, “When we began to domesticate the various sound influences we were consuming, the evolution of our music grew faster, and the sound appealed to a diverse audience.
As Associate Producer, Researcher, and co-director of the “Journey Of The Beats Afrobeats” documentary showing on Showmax, he’s one of the most revered custodians of the Nigerian music industry.
When ballroom and Jazz became domesticated with the inclusion of our local instruments to provide a unique sound, the likes of Bobby Benson and Fela rose to stardom with High-life and Afrobeat. As the music evolved, more influences came in, and we witnessed the rise of Fuji, Waka, Pop, African Reggae, and Raggamuffin superstars. Likewise, when hip-hop was domesticated, artists with various undercurrents became famous.
With these fusions and beats tagged under the umbrella name Afrobeats; the brand has become a cultural phenomenon.
It is important to tell these stories to the world without selective amnesia. There are two excellent Afrobeats documentaries in “Journey Of The Beats” and “Afrobeats The Backstory” but more will come and I am glad to be alive to see what Afrobeats has become.”
Sesan is one of the best investigative journalists in the country. He has attended the MTV Europe Music Awards, Channel O Music Video, and Ghana Music Awards. As a radio music analyst, he was a co-host on Cool 96.9FM for Martell Cognac’s House Of Martell Entertainment. As a music talent judge, he was one of the early judges during the 2020 MTN Yello Star competition. Wearing the hat of a PR Strategist, Sesan has worked with Fireboy DML, Idahams, and recently with Basketmouth.
The narrative he shared with Simple Magazine about the evolution of Nigerian music that we can now describe as the Afrobeats tale is insightful.
Watch full interview on Simple TV;
