Broadcasting

For the Record” Podcast Spotlights Fast-Growing African Music Scene, ft. DaVido, Burna Boy, Others

Published

5 years ago

April 9, 2021

Kindly share this post

The next episode of Spotify: For the Record, a podcast sharing fresh, illuminating insights from the music industry in a way only Spotify can, is out now.

Following on from Spotify’s recent launch into 39 new African markets, which was announced during the Stream On event on 22 February, the new episode titled “Afropop to Amapiano: African Music Ignites,” takes listeners on a journey across the continent from Nigeria to Kenya, spotlighting the diverse cultures and sounds of a musical hotbed for expanding genres like Amapiano and Gengetone, and popular collaborations between African artists and mainstream Western stars.

The episode features interviews with a roster of African stars, including recent Grammy-winner Burna Boy and fellow Nigerian DaVido, who shares how key collabs with Nas and Nicki Minaj were born in the bathroom and in his DM’s.

Also featured is Kenya’s celebrated musician-producer-DJ Blinky Bill, and South African RADAR artist Focalistic, whose track “Ke Star” is gaining worldwide attention. Listeners also hear from Nigeria’s RADAR artist Tems, who reveals how it feels to be featured on President Barack Obama’s playlists and gives a taste of “alté”.

In the podcast, Davido speaks about how he ended up collaborating with Nas: “When I was in L.A., you know, Hit Boy had a whole studio booked out and apparently him and Nas were working in one of the rooms.

I was in the other room working. And then I just had to pee. So, I went to the bathroom, and coming out the bathroom I see Nas. I’m like, ‘What??’ And then he chopped it up. And we did our record that same day. Very weird and crazy.”

Hosts Shanon Cook and Kevin Turner, along with Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, also share fascinating new insights into how Spotify listeners around the world are responding to music from Africa, one of the world’s fastest-growing music markets. They unveil some key data points from the first 30 days since Spotify launched in the new sub-Saharan markets, these include that:

French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura was the most-streamed African artist globally in the past year (her song “Djadja” has been streamed more than half a billion times); Burna Boy was second.
Four out of five of the top five most-streamed artists in Nigeria are from Nigeria: WizKid, Burna Boy, and DaVido top the list, followed by Drake, and then Nigeria’s Rema coming in fifth.
In Kenya, one local artist made it into the top five – Sauti Sol – sandwiched between Drake, Pop Smoke, Justin Bieber and Juice WRLD.
Ghana’s top five most-streamed artists is a mix: Drake takes the number one slot, followed by two Ghanaian rappers Sarkodie and Kwesi Arthur, with Nigerian neighbours Burna Boy and Davido rounding out the list.

Additional quotes from artists featured on the episode

Focalistic on collaborating with Davido on a Pan-African “Ke Star” remix: “When we spoke, [Davido] was telling me about how they want to put you know, both worlds together and tell the story the- the way it’s supposed to be, as a Pan-African collaboration.

“And people understand these are two worlds colliding, Nigeria, South Africa, and creating such a beautiful masterpiece. And I’m super proud that, you know, we managed to do that with Ke Star.”

Burna Boy on paving the way for future generations of talent: “As a kid I had dreams of becoming a proper rockstar. Like I didn’t know what it meant, I just saw it on TV. […] If the younger generation sees that the older generation is doing something and it’s successful, then they’re going to be interested in that thing. And they’re going to probably come out and do it better than their elders.”
Blinky Bill on the East African music scene: “I don’t feel like there’s been a proper spotlight on what’s going on with the East African music scene, which is sad because I think that a country like Kenya, for example, has so much diversity and could add tons to like just push the envelope of where the sound is and where the sound is going. I feel like in the next few years that’s going to happen. So keep an eye out.”
Tems on how the pandemic has impacted her work: “Being locked down helped me learn a lot about myself. I’m such a perfectionist. So it definitely increased the perfectionist side. But overall it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world, I’m always able to express, so no matter what I am doing, as long as I have vocal chords, I’m still going to be able to create music.”

Kindly share this post

Broadcasting

MultiChoice Talent Factory Calls for Entries Into Fully Funded Film Training Programme

Published

21 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Ugo Onwuaso

Kindly share this post

MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), a Pan-African film and television training institution, has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 intake.

MultiChoice

The fully funded programme is open to African graduates aspiring to become directors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, producers and storytellers.

According to MultiChoice, the nine-month accredited curriculum combines online learning with intensive in-person training, and is designed to balance theoretical knowledge with practical immersion.

MTF academies are located in Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia, and serve aspiring filmmakers from 14 African countries. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has trained 296 filmmakers, with graduates producing more than 42 movies aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax platforms.

Organisers said alumni of the programme have gone on to establish over 50 production companies, while many continue to work within the MultiChoice ecosystem.

Graduates have also won accolades at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Kalasha Awards, Uganda Film Festival and Women in Film Awards.

Applications for the 2026 intake close on Feb. 27, 2026. Interested candidates can visit https://apo-opa.co/3XW53oE for programme requirements.

Kindly share this post

Broadcasting

Davido, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Karl Toriola, Others To Be Honoured At The Most Influential People of African Descent Awards In Lagos

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Ugo Onwuaso

Kindly share this post

Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) is excited to announce the Lagos Diaspora Experience 2025, a week-long celebration of African art, culture, innovation, and connection, culminating in the End of the Year Awards & Celebration on Sunday, December 21st, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Most Influential People of African Descent Awards

This historic occasion marks the first time the world-famous Most Influential 100 Recognition & Awards Ceremony—traditionally held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)—will be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria.

The week will feature events such as Diaspora Day at the Fela Exhibition (Afrobeat Meets Diaspora), Cultural Heritage Day, and Business Leadership Luncheons, all culminating in the awards celebration.

The evening will honor the Best & Brightest of the Year, recognizing exceptional individuals and institutions whose work has advanced Global African Achievement and Black Excellence across business, government, media, culture, and technology.

Key Recognitions for 2025
– Governor of the Year & City of the Year: His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, honored alongside Lagos as City of the Year for its global leadership in culture, innovation, tourism, and diaspora engagement.

– Her Excellency Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, will be honoured as Minister of the Year for her contribution to the creative economy’s role in nation branding and cultural diplomacy.

– Most Influential Woman of the Year: Olorì Atúwàtse III, Queen Consort of the Warri Kingdom

– Most Influential Man of the Year: Adewale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, OANDO

– CEO of the Year: Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria; who will deliver a keynote address, recognized for his transformative leadership and impact on Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital economy.

Others include; Karl Toriola of MTN as CEO of the year, Uche Pedro of Bella Naija as Lifestyle Personality Of The Year, Ojy Okpe of Artise News as Most Influential News Anchor Of The Year, Stephanie Busari as Media Executive of the Year, Kayode Okikiolu as Pressman of the year, Davido as Artist of the year and several others.

In celebrating this year’s honorees, Michael Ehindero, Managing Director, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, owners of Martell Cognac, who emerged as Brand Of The Year expressed deep appreciation for the brand’s continued global recognition, saying: “It’s a great reward for the team who’s delivered Martell excellently in Nigeria over the years.

“We say thank you to the teams, we say thank you to our consumers and we say thank you to MIPAD.

“Martell has a lot of promising experiences in the years to come in Nigeria and with this we invite you over to Nigeria to experience Detty December”.

The ceremony will also celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2025 Honorees, alongside past Nigerian honorees who were unable to attend their year of recognition in New York.

“For the first time, we’re bringing our world-famous recognition platform home to celebrate excellence within the Global Africa Family — right here in Lagos,” said Kamil Olufowobi, Founder & Chairman of MIPAD. “This is more than an event; it’s a movement uniting the best of us — connecting, collaborating, and working together to change the world.”

Event Details
📍 Lagos, Nigeria
– Friday, Dec 19 – #DettyDec Diaspora Day at Fela Exhibition FREE

View this post on Instagram

– Sunday, Dec 21 – End of Year Recognition & Award Ceremony STRICTLY BY INVITATION
🎟️ RSVP: https://rsvp.oakenevents.com/mipad

Kindly share this post

Broadcasting

NCC Blocks Piracy Sites as Nollywood Faces Rising Digital Theft

Published

5 days ago

December 13, 2025

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

Kindly share this post

Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has called for urgent adoption of advanced digital protections after blocking seven piracy sites amid escalating online threats to Nollywood content.

NCC Blocks Piracy Sites as Nollywood Faces Rising Digital Theft

The call was made during a webinar hosted by Greychapel Legal titled “Clicks, Streams, and Copyright: Who Owns Nollywood’s Digital Future?”, which brought together filmmakers, regulators, entertainment lawyers and media strategists to examine how content ownership and copyright enforcement are being reshaped by the digital age.

Lynda Alphaeus, director and head of the NCC Lagos Office, said the Commission has intensified its efforts to combat piracy across digital channels and is upgrading its operations to meet emerging threats.

According to her, Nigeria’s new Copyright Act was deliberately updated to strengthen creators’ rights amid the explosion of online distribution.

“NCC has worked, and is still working tirelessly to adapt Nigeria’s legal framework to cope with digital distribution challenges. We now have the power to block networks publishing illegal content, and we have already blocked seven websites distributing pirated Nigerian works,” Alphaeus said.

She revealed that the Commission has established a special taskforce known as the STOP Unit to coordinate anti-piracy operations online, alongside new awareness campaigns targeting local markets and schools to educate content creators and the public on copyright obligations.

Alphaeus urged filmmakers and producers to take ownership of their digital safety by deploying available technological protections to safeguard their intellectual property.

She explained that tools such as encryption help prevent unauthorised copying, blockchain technology offers immutable proof of ownership, digital watermarking allows creators to trace illegal uploads, while cloud security and regular offline backups protect creative files before they reach the market.

While noting that copyright in Nigeria does not legally require registration, she stressed that registering one’s work strengthens protection and provides legal presumptions that can be vital in enforcement.

“Whatever you register is presumed to be yours until proven otherwise,” she said, urging creators to invest in copyright knowledge as part of their business strategy.

Other speakers at the webinar reinforced the urgency of protecting Nollywood’s digital assets.

James Omokwe, film director, noted that while streaming platforms have created unprecedented opportunities for visibility and monetisation, they have also opened new vectors for intellectual property theft and unauthorised redistribution.

Solafunmi Laelle, media strategist, added that audience data, which streaming platforms rely heavily on, will increasingly determine leverage and value in film licensing negotiations.

According to her, creators who lose control of their intellectual property, whether through piracy or unfavourable contracts, also lose access to valuable data that could shape their long-term earnings.

Nky Ofeimun, entertainment lawyer, emphasised the need for creators to understand the contractual implications of ownership, platform exclusivity, and reversion rights.

She noted that many filmmakers still underestimate how quickly digital copies can be illegally duplicated or uploaded once control is lost.

The panelists agreed that as Nollywood deepens its digital footprint, piracy will continue to evolve and become more sophisticated.

They stressed that the industry must respond with equally sophisticated tools, stronger contract negotiation, and improved education around copyright.

Kindly share this post