Nigerian singer D’banj has revealed how American rapper and music executive Kanye West played a key role in popularizing Afrobeats in the Western world. According to D’banj, Kanye was the first international artist to embrace the genre.
In a recent episode of the ‘Listen’ podcast, D’banj shared that Kanye’s passion for African music led him to sign both D’banj and Don Jazzy to his record label, Good Music. He recalled, “The first time I met Kanye in Dubai, he told me he had asked university students about Afrobeats. He was genuinely interested in the sound.”
D’banj continued, “That interest led to our deal with Good Music. Kanye was the first international artist to embrace Afrobeats and take it to the next level.”
Kanye West also made a cameo in D’banj’s 2012 international hit “Oliver Twist.”
