Sesan Adeniji is the cover star of Simple magazine’s August 2022 online edition with the caption ‘A Journalist At The Forefront Of Afrobeats evolution’; this gives credence to why he is one of the connoisseurs of Afrobeats. As Associate Producer, Researcher, and co-director of the Journey Of The Beats Afrobeats documentary showing on Showmax, he’s one of the most revered custodians of Nigerian Music History.

In the interview with simple TV / Magazine, he spoke about the evolution of Nigerian music pre the slave trade and the era of returnee musicians. He also shed light on the birth of Highlife up to the influence of the hip-hop generation. According to him, ‘when we began to domesticate the various sound influences we were consuming, the evolution of our music grew faster, and the sound resonated with a more diverse audience. 

When Jazz and ballroom became domesticated with the inclusion of our local instruments to provide a unique sound, the likes of Bobby Benson and Fela rose to stardom with Highlife and Afrobeat. As the music evolved, more influences came in, and we witnessed the rise of Fuji, Waka, Pop, African Reggae, and Raggamuffin superstars. Likewise, when hip-hop was domesticated, artists with various undercurrents became famous. With these fusions and beats tagged under the umbrella name Afrobeats, the brand Afrobeats became a cultural phenomenon.  

It is important to tell these stories to the world in a manner devoid of selective amnesia. They are two excellent Afrobeats documentaries in ‘Journey Of The Beats’ on Showmax and ‘Afrobeats -The Backstory’ on Netflix. But more will come. I am glad to be alive to see what Afrobeats has become’. Sesan’s influence in the Nigerian music industry spans over twenty years (20 years). For eleven years (11 years), he was the Managing Editor for Bubbles Magazine. With a penchant for chasing facts and assembling historical editorials and artifacts, in 2011, he became the Executive Producer of Mystreetz TV, the first music documentary channel aired on terrestrial TV in Nigeria. 

In 2012, he launched Mystreetz Magazine. With a good ear for music, a keen eye for talents, and an unbiased journalistic instinct, Sesan is one of the best investigative journalists in the country. He has attended the MTV Europe Music Awards, Channel O Music Video, and Ghana Music Awards. As a radio music analyst, he was a co-host on Cool 96.9FM for Martell Cognac’s House Of Martell Entertainment. As a music talent judge, he was one of the early judges during the 2020 MTN Yello Star competition. Wearing the hat of a PR Strategist, Sesan has worked with Fireboy DML, Idahams, and recently with Basketmouth. He’s presently working on scripting some Afrobeats biopics. 

The narrative he shared with Simple Magazine about the evolution of Nigerian music that we can now describe as the Afrobeats tale is insightful.

Click the link to watch –

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