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Early in life, Afrobeats artist Davido learned to think on his own, a trait that unexpectedly led him to discover his passion for music. During an interview with AFROTECH™, Davido, who was born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, reflected on the formative years that shaped his path in the music industry. The youngest of five siblings, Davido lost his mother at 5 years old and was raised by his father, Adedeji Adeleke, a Nigerian billionaire who serves as CEO of Pacific Holdings Limited and President of Adeleke University. Despite his family’s wealth, Davido credits the freedom his father gave him as a key factor that allowed him to carve out his own lane in music. “He traveled a lot for business”. “He was a busy man…I think I had a lot of time to kinda find myself and know exactly what I wanted to do in life,” Davido said. “In the beginning, I didn’t really have him in my face, like, how he was with my siblings like, ‘Oh, dude. Go to school. I want you to be this.'” Davido...
Mike Will Made-It has revealed that he did not understand how to make money from music when he first entered the industry. The producer, born Michael Len Williams II, behind some of this generation’s top hits, fell into music by playing on a keyboard owned by his sister, Chonte. He created beats with his father, former IBM computer engineer Michael Len Williams Sr., Forbes reported. He later learned to play the saxophone, and by his early teens, his father bought him a $600 Korg Electribe drum machine. “Inquisitive kid,” Michael Sr. said of his son, per Forbes. “He wanted to know everything.” After one semester at Georgia State, he convinced his father he could put school on the back burner to pursue a career in the music business as a producer. Mike Will Made-It recalls having no footing in his early days in Atlanta’s underground. He also had no management at the time, even during a breakout time for him thanks to producing singles including “Bandz a Make Her Dance” by Juicy J, “No...
There’s no denying that Afrobeats is one of, if not the, hottest genres currently in the music industry. As African artists continue to crossover, U.S. listeners have been captivated by hits like Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” and Rema’s “Calm Down.” While the global phenomenon has taken over the sound waves as of late, there are artists such as Joeboy who knew early on of its promise.
In 2014, Apple obtained the rights to Beats Music and Beats Electronics, founded by Hip-Hop royalty Dr. Dre. His excitement about the news, however, allegedly led to changes in the deal. Eager to celebrate his wins, the former N.W.A member created a video where he dubbed himself “the first billionaire in Hip-Hop.” Now, alleged details have surfaced claiming that the celebratory statement cost the mogul $200 million out of the deal.
Searching for beats can be a daunting task for musicians, but this new platform aims to make it an easier process. UnitedMasters and Grammy Award-winning producer Hit-Boy have joined forces for Beat Exchange — a curated marketplace to buy and sell beats — per a press release shared with AfroTech.
Wizkid continues to make waves globally. According to a press release, the Grammy-award-winning artist just inked a deal as Flutterwave’s new Global Brand Ambassador. Africa’s leading payment provider’s announcement comes at the same time as the news of Send, a remittance solution that was designed to increase remittance flow and uptake to the African continent. Got to sit down with @techprod_arch , Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, to talk about @sendbyflw , our partnership and the future! 🦅x🦋 Watch the full video – https://t.co/e7wf20xr1m pic.twitter.com/rQPioQuuvO — Wizkid (@wizkidayo) December 23, 2021 “Wizkid’s story is that of hard work, resilience, and excellence,” said Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, Flutterwave CEO and Founder, in an official press release. “The way he constantly represents Africa in the global entertainment stage is something we love. As a leading technology company out of Africa, our values align and we’re excited to have him join us to drive adoption for Send.”
Lil Baby has been consistently dominating the rap game, and his music streams are proof of it. Since starting his label 4PF (4 Pockets Full) with Quality Control Music in 2016, Lil Baby has been making it clear that he is a force in the music industry based on the accolades he’s racked up. The music video network shared that the Atlanta rapper was named Vevo’s most-viewed artist of 2021 in the USA. He ranked at the top of Vevo’s US Top Ten Artists By Views, with over 770 million views. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vevo (@vevo) With his impressive amassed views, he took the lead over The Weeknd, who came in at No. 2 with 559 million views. Other pop star faves on the list included newcomers Doja Cat (429 million views) and Lil Nas X (382 million views).
Afrobeats artist Davido took to his Twitter platform on Nov. 17 to make a bold financial request of his social media followers that would cement a new tradition for the “Fall” singer to celebrate his birthday. “If u know I’ve given you a hit song .. send me money,” he said via Twitter. If u know I've given you a hit song .. send me money …. una know una selves oo 😂😂😂🥰🥰🎉🎉 — Davido (@davido) November 17, 2021 The newly turned 29-year-old followed the tweet by sharing his Wema bank account information and jokingly telling his supporters he would need $100 million Nigerian naira ($243,000 USD) to clear his Rolls-Royce from a port. Within minutes, the Nigerian-American artist had racked in over $15,000 USD and he made sure to keep fans and his peers updated with screenshots of incoming transactions. The amount would soon climb to $200 million Nigerian naira (over $487,000 USD) shattering Davido’s expectations. Then, Davido shared with his audience of 22 million users on his Instagram...
Beats by Dre (Beats) is the latest company to tap into the wave of college athletes who are now able to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The move by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to allow student-athletes to gain profit and exposure thanks to the new NIL rule may have been the best thing to happen to both companies and athletes since sliced bread! In an announcement on Wednesday, Beats announced that Jackson State University quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been tapped as the brand’s latest ambassador. Not only is he the first college athlete to hop on the Beats’ talent roster, but he is also the company’s youngest ambassador at just 19-years-old. Sanders first made headlines when he followed in the footsteps of his father when he decided that he would attend a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) over the many high-profile schools who had the young athlete on their radar for quite some time. View this post on Instagram A post...
Beats By Dre and movie producer Charles D. King’s MACRO company have joined forces to help students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta pursue their Hollywood film dreams. According to a press release shared with AfroTech, the two companies have partnered together on a film pitch competition that will grant current students and recent alumni of four Atlanta HBCUs the chance to pitch their film passion projects to top Hollywood executives. Winners of the competition will then get the opportunity to attend the Beats Black Creators Summit later this year and The 2022 MACRO Lodge at Sundance Film Festival in January 2022. Eligible students who will be considered for the pitch competition must be at least 18-years-old and matriculate from either Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University or Morris Brown College. At a time where representation in the film industry is key to advancing the conversation around diversity and inclusion in...
HBCU students have an opportunity to help shape the future with Beats By Dr. Dre. The audio electronics platform announced a new creative program that offers Black creatives a chance to “create films, write articles and help design product” in the areas of music, sports and culture, the press release says. If selected, recent graduates and current students at HBCUs will enter a three-month, paid program where they will be mentored by industry leaders. In addition, they’ll work with major brands through roles, including Branded Content Creator, IRL (In Real Life) Creator, Customs Creator, and Sports Editorial Content Creator. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beats by Dre (@beatsbydre) The experience is a part of Black Future, a Beats By Dr. Dre initiative that celebrates and empowers the next generation of Black creatives, leaders, and innovators who are contributing to the future of Black Culture. A short film, directed by Rodney Lucas, illustrates the essence of the...