Afropolitan Vibes is a live music concert series & annual music festival in Lagos,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

. The show was created by

Ade Bantu Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to: Aeronautics *Ada Air's ICAO code *Aden International Airport's IATA code *Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India Medical * Adverse Drug Event *Antibody-dependent enhancement * AD ...

and Abby Ogunsanya in 2013 as a platform to showcase alternative music. Every edition features three or four contemporary singer/songwriters, vocalists or musicians who perform mostly original works that are firmly rooted in African musical origins of

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecti ...

, Afrofunk, Afro-hiphop, Afro-pop, and

Highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and wester ...

. All acts perform with the 13 piece

BANTU Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language *Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for Nationali ...

collective No miming is allowed at the shows. From 2013 to 2017 Afropolitan Vibes had a monthly residency at Freedom Park, a former British Colonial Prison on

Lagos Island Lagos Island (''Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó'') is the principal and central local government area (LGA) in Lagos, it was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a p ...

. In May 2017 the producers of the show announced a change of venue to Muri Okunola Park in Lagos and that the concert series would now hold every third Friday of each quarter

Notable performers

A cross section of performers that have performed at Afropolitan Vibes at least once. *

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, ''L.I. ...

Victor Olaiya Victor Abimbola Olaiya , (31 December 1930 – 12 February 2020), also known as Dr Victor Olaiya, was a Nigerian trumpeter who played in the highlife style. Though famous in Nigeria during the 1950s and early 1960s, Olaiya received little recog ...

Yemi Alade Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), is a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter, actress and activist. She won the ''Peak Talent Show'' in 2009 after which she signed to Effyzzie Music Group, and had a hit with her single "Johnny" in 2014. Si ...

* M.I *

Shina Peters Sir Shina Peters (born 30 May 1958) is a Nigerian Jùjú musician. Life Born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters in Ogun State, Peters' career in music began at a young age when he played with friends under the handle Olushina and His Twelve Fantastic Br ...

Nneka Nneka is an Igbo It can also be a shortened version of the Igbo name Nnemkadi. The following people have the name: * Nneka (singer) or Nneka Egbuna, Nigerian-German singer and songwriter * Nneka Egbujiobi, Nigerian-American lawyer * Nneka Abulokw ...

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

Blitz the Ambassador Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a Ghanaian highlife musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. The first musician from Ghana and the world to formally incorporate rap forms into local highlife rhythms, Ambolley created the musical genre Simigwa. Career ...

* Patrice *

Seun Kuti Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti (born 11 January 1983), who is called by the name Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of the famous Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80. Biography The y ...

Brymo Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ (born Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi; 9 May 1986), better known as Brymo, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, stage performer,actor and author. He started recording music in 1999 while in secondary school. He signed a record dea ...

keziah Jones Keziah Jones (born Olufemi Sanyaolu on 10 January 1968) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He describes his musical style as "Blufunk", which is a fusion between raw blues elements and hard, edgy funk rhythms. Also his Nigerian r ...

* Bez *

Daddy Showkey Daddy Showkey is a veteran Nigerian galala singer. His genre of music is called ghetto dance or simply ghetto. He was popular in Ajegunle in the late 1990s. He was born as John Odafe Asiemo but is known as Daddy Showkey all over the Ghetto. He h ...

Salawa Abeni Salawa Abeni Alidu (born 5 May 1961) is a Nigerian singer. An Ijebu Yoruba from Ijebu Waterside, in Ogun State, she began her professional career in waka music when she released her debut album titled, ''Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed'', ...

Temi Dollface Temi DollFace (born August 2) is a Nigerian electro-pop-soul singer, who grew up in England. Her music is described as "a brand of music that is jazzy, energetic and theatrical". She is best known for her 2013 single "Pata Pata", which received fou ...

* Ebo Taylor * Megaloh *

Akua Naru Akua Naru (also known as Akua Olatunji), is a rapper from Connecticut, United States. Naru has been particularly successful in Europe, where she has lived since 2008. Her hip-hop music incorporates styles including soul and jazz. In 2018 she beg ...

Orlando Juliu Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures ...

Siji Wadi Siji is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates. The wadi runs from the Sharjah city of Dhaid to the mountain town of Masafi, where it meets the Wadi Ham and Wadi Abadila. It has long been a ...

* General Pype *

Majek Fashek Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek (March 1963 – 1 June 2020) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His 1988 album ''Prisoner of Conscience'' included the single "Send Down the Rain", which won six PMAN Music Awards ...

Chris Ajilo Christopher Isola Ajilo (26 December 1929Veteran h ...

*Fokn Bois *

Beautiful Nubia Beautiful Nubia is the performing name for Segun Akinlolu (born 11 November 1968), a Nigerian-born songwriter, music composer and band leader. Beautiful Nubia and the Roots Renaissance Band is Nigeria's foremost contemporary folk and root ...

Praiz Praise Ugbede Adejo (born 8 March 1985), better known by his stage name Praiz, is a Nigerian multi award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. Praiz's music career hit the limelight after he finished second runner-up at the maiden seas ...

Waje Aituaje Iruobe, known professionally as Waje, which is the first letter from each word from the phrase "Words Aren't Just enough" is a Nigerian singer. She first gained recognition after being featured on the remake of P-Square’s "Omoge Mi". W ...

Sound Sultan Sound Sultan (born Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi; November 27, 1976 – July 11, 2021) was a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian, and recording artist. He was regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Niger ...

Afropolitan Vibes Music Festival

The maiden edition of a two day Afropolitan Vibes Festival was held on the 16th and 17 December 2016 in Lagos.

Urban Sessions

The Afropolitan Vibe franchise also hosts smaller acoustic gigs called Urban Sessions. The show happens on an ad hoc basis and has featured Afro-German singer/songwriter Patrice, Nigerian vocalist

& Nigerian folk legend Blackman Akeeb Kareem. Urban Session was also featured as an integral part of the Afropolitan Vibes Music Festival. Singer/songwriters Falana, Aduke, Ayo Awosika, Mary Akpa, Nosa, Tomi Thomas, Keziah Jones, Kaline, Sina Ayinde Bakare, Jinmi Abdul and female vocal ensemble Adunni & Nefertiti all performed intimate unplugged or acoustic set. The performing acts were all interviewed by Ade Bantu before their respective sets

References

External links

Theguardian.comThisdaylive.comNgrguardiannews.comBbc.com
Entertainment events in Nigeria Nigerian music DIY culture Underground culture Music festivals in Lagos Annual events in Lagos {{Nigeria-stub

Notable performers

Afropolitan Vibes Music Festival

Urban Sessions

See also

References

External links