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The music is not yours

45
College
Chimera Difficulty Score
a synthesis of Flesch-Kincaid, Coleman-Liau, SMOG, and Dale-Chall readability metrics
The music is not yours On the latest AIAC podcast, the gang from the Nigerian Scam explores how Afrobeats got globalized, who captured the value, and why the party may be ending. Our most recent recording features the celebrated Nigerian poet, psychiatrist, and music critic Dami Ajayi. The major thread of discussion centers on the evolution of Afrobeats—its origins, global rise, and current uncert...
The conversation around Afrobeats reveals deeper tensions between cultural authenticity and global commercialization. While the genre’s rise is celebrated as a Nigerian success story, it also reflects broader patterns of how global capital extracts value from local creativity. The 2012 generation of artists galvanized Afrobeats into a global phenomenon, but their reliance on international labels and streaming platforms has raised questions about who truly benefits from this success. The critique...