The Afrobeats genre is earning for itself a reputation in the global world. In the western world, where different genres are struggling to break into the mainstream, Afrobeats is climbing its way up, one song at a time. The demand for Nigerian music has drastically increased, and behind the piecing together of the most important component of any song – the instrumental – is the producer.
Afrobeats Producers Are the David Copperfield of the Nigerian Music Industry
Afrobeats producers are magicians. Have you ever lay in bed listening to a song, and you realize that you were actually not listening to the artist, but the producer? Yes. Exactly. That’s how good these niggas are. It has often been said that Nigerian producers hold the key to unlocking Afrobeats. Many a time, they lay the foundation for which artists build their monuments. In this case, I’m going to give only one example and that is Burna Boy’s Ye. Phantom Beats did a madness on that instrumental. Take your time to listen (again) to that gem.
Don’t get me started on the number of artists from the western world who have asked to work with our producers. They obviously see a lot of value in what they are doing. From Kiddominant to Rexxie to Sarz, these hotshots have worked with the likes of Chris Brown and Drake. They are maestros in their field, and they work extremely hard to put Afrobeats on the map. The potential that Afrobeats possesses is massive. I’m not trying to over-hype the musical product we’re churning out, but I strongly believe that Afrobeats has what it takes to challenge popular genres like hip-hop and RnB.
It hurts that all the attention and credit go to the artists. I mean, it’s only natural since artists are usually the ones in our faces. Nobody really enjoys working hard, contributing massively to the success of a project, and then ending up not getting any acknowledgment. In an ideal world, it’s a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, this is what many of our Afrobeats producers have to deal with. Nonetheless, the situation is slightly different in today’s world. People are starting to get sensitized to the struggles of Afrobeats producers. We are learning that without the magical touch of the producer, the music would probably cease to exist. However, this is a story for another day.
The Idea of Collaboration Between Producers
You hear the stories behind some albums (in America) and it totally makes sense that they turn out to be masterpieces. You hear top producers like Timbaland, Pharrell, Dr. Dre coming together to collaborate on projects, with each producer bringing their unique strengths and creativity to the field of play. When producers enter the studio with a common goal in mind, the outcome can only be superb. It only makes sense that Afrobeats producers should be more open to the idea of collaboration. Imagine Sarz, Spax, Pheelz, Masterkraft working on the same project, with the same creative direction. That would be positively disastrous.
A single leaf working alone provides no shade. – Chuck Page
Opportunity to Learn New Things
Collaborating with other producers provides an opportunity to learn new things. After all, no one knows it all. We are constantly learning with each passing day. When you work with other producers, you learn from them as they learn from you.
Explore Your Creativity
Every producer involved in the collaboration gets to explore their creativity more. By bouncing ideas off each other, you get to think of new creative angles to approach the instrumental from as you work towards the same goal.
Division of Labor
You know what I mean, yes? One producer might be badass at playing chords and laying down melodies, while the other one might be a beast when it comes to percussion. Focusing on your strength (only) gives the project the needed quality as the other producer(s) complement your weakness(es) and vice versa.
More skin in the game
Working with another producer comes with accountability. You have to do everything possible to make sure that you’re not the one delaying the project. When one of you doesn’t do what’s expected of him, everyone suffers.
There are certainly more benefits than I can possibly mention, but make una just manage these ones wey I highlight. My aim was to give you a scope of what producers stand to benefit when they collaborate on projects. Asides from that, it also means more for artists. More experimental music. More options to pick from and work with. More hands working to achieve a common goal. There’s no way you look at it that it doesn’t make sense.
I wouldn’t hastily conclude that some Nigerian producers haven’t tried to collaborate. I’ve heard some songs that were worked on by more than one producer. When I say collaboration though, I’m not saying a producer working on a beat then sending it to another producer to help with when stuck. No. What I mean is producers starting an instrumental from scratch, with the same goal. Like working on creating instrumentals for a certain purpose. It could be for an album or simply for experimentation. So, why aren’t we seeing more of this kind of collaboration between producers?
There are some possible reasons for this. Firstly, many producers like to work solo. They believe that working with another producer comes with a lot of distractions, that it’s not going to be a seamless process. And truly, that’s understandable. Especially when there’s a breach in communication, it can be quite messy. When you have an idea in your head but cannot put it into words, it can be frustrating for all parties involved.
Secondly, many producers don’t know how to go about collaboration. The appropriate thing to do is for every party involved to go into the studio with a common goal in mind. Rather than sending to each other via email or social media. Not only is it not going to be a smooth process, but it also doesn’t really give room for synergy as it’s almost like each producer is working alone, as opposed to being in the studio together where they can share ideas and execute immediately.
Thirdly, pride gets in the way of a lot of creatives, generally. Nobody wants to be the first person to reach out to the other person. It’s even worse when one producer reaches out to the other one and doesn’t get the desired response. Some producers also don’t see why they should collaborate with other producers that they consider less talented/successful than they are.
One day, soon enough I hope, this will be history. Nigerian producers are going to set up production camps where they allow their creativity foster. It would mean a lot for Afrobeats. With bated breath, we wait.
Guest article by Haywenzo.
