WAVES

— Music & Entertainment

Afrobeats. Amapiano. SA Hip-Hop. Afro-house. Nollywood. The sounds and screen moments shaping global culture from African studios — and what it all means for the diaspora.

After the Gold Rush: Nollywood’s Box Office Is Booming Because Netflix Left
entertainmentAugust 4, 2026 10 min

After the Gold Rush: Nollywood’s Box Office Is Booming Because Netflix Left

A Billboard in Times Square Said Tyla Belonged to Roc Nation. She Said She Didn't.
musicJuly 27, 2026 8 min

A Billboard in Times Square Said Tyla Belonged to Roc Nation. She Said She Didn't.

Kabza De Small Built Amapiano's Sound. Now He's Building the Label — but Sony Still Owns the Pipes.
musicJuly 27, 2026 7 min

Kabza De Small Built Amapiano's Sound. Now He's Building the Label — but Sony Still Owns the Pipes.

Ghana's Piracy Crackdown and the Tax on African Screen Value
entertainmentJuly 15, 2026 8 min

Ghana's Piracy Crackdown and the Tax on African Screen Value

Jay-Z Turned His Back Catalog Into a Monument. Africa Should Take Notes.
entertainmentJuly 13, 2026 4 min

Jay-Z Turned His Back Catalog Into a Monument. Africa Should Take Notes.

Big Brother Naija: The Economics of Africa's Biggest Entertainment Machine
entertainmentJuly 13, 2026 5 min

Big Brother Naija: The Economics of Africa's Biggest Entertainment Machine

Odumodublvck and the Hard Edge of the Afrobeats Export
musicJuly 13, 2026 5 min

Odumodublvck and the Hard Edge of the Afrobeats Export

Alté: How Nigeria's Youth Authored Its Own Version of Cool
musicJuly 9, 2026 5 min

Alté: How Nigeria's Youth Authored Its Own Version of Cool

Iwájú and the Kugali Gambit: What African Authorship Costs Inside a Disney Machine
entertainmentJuly 9, 2026 4 min

Iwájú and the Kugali Gambit: What African Authorship Costs Inside a Disney Machine

Afro Nation Exports Afrobeats to the World. But Who Owns the Party?
musicJuly 7, 2026 8 min

Afro Nation Exports Afrobeats to the World. But Who Owns the Party?

Lowfeye Named His Debut Album After His Late Mother. 'Nosange' Is How He Closes That Chapter.
musicJuly 6, 2026 4 min

Lowfeye Named His Debut Album After His Late Mother. 'Nosange' Is How He Closes That Chapter.

Tekno's 'Port Au Prince' Turns a Passport Into a Pillow — and the Diaspora Into a Destination
musicJuly 4, 2026 4 min

Tekno's 'Port Au Prince' Turns a Passport Into a Pillow — and the Diaspora Into a Destination

Okyeame Kwame Called His Daughter's School a Co-Parent. Ghana Felt That in Its Chest.
entertainmentJuly 1, 2026 5 min

Okyeame Kwame Called His Daughter's School a Co-Parent. Ghana Felt That in Its Chest.

Legon's Scholars Drew a Line: African Knowledge, Built by African Institutions
entertainmentJune 30, 2026 5 min

Legon's Scholars Drew a Line: African Knowledge, Built by African Institutions

Southshore University College Rewrites What an African Graduate Is Built For
entertainmentJune 30, 2026 5 min

Southshore University College Rewrites What an African Graduate Is Built For

Gbesunmo: Wande Coal, Ruger, and BNXN just remade the rules of the Afrobeats collab
musicJune 30, 2026 4 min

Gbesunmo: Wande Coal, Ruger, and BNXN just remade the rules of the Afrobeats collab

Afrobeats Didn't Win the World Cup Song. It Became Infrastructure.
musicJune 29, 2026 1 min

Afrobeats Didn't Win the World Cup Song. It Became Infrastructure.

Ghana Didn't Send Fans to Boston. It Sent a Trade Delegation.
entertainmentJune 28, 2026 5 min

Ghana Didn't Send Fans to Boston. It Sent a Trade Delegation.

Nana Akua Adomaa Adu-Mante Published Her First Novel at 13. The Genre Is Mystery. The Statement Is Larger.
entertainmentJune 28, 2026 4 min

Nana Akua Adomaa Adu-Mante Published Her First Novel at 13. The Genre Is Mystery. The Statement Is Larger.

Davido and JAZZWRLD's 'I Know Who I Be' Is Not a Comeback. It's a Reckoning.
musicJune 27, 2026 5 min

Davido and JAZZWRLD's 'I Know Who I Be' Is Not a Comeback. It's a Reckoning.

Ghana Opens a Trade House in Philadelphia — and Brings the Diaspora Inside
entertainmentJune 26, 2026 5 min

Ghana Opens a Trade House in Philadelphia — and Brings the Diaspora Inside

Moses Parker Funded the Black Stars Anthem the GFA Never Made
entertainmentJune 24, 2026 5 min

Moses Parker Funded the Black Stars Anthem the GFA Never Made

Stonebwoy's TORCHER II Doesn't Chase the Room — It Builds One
entertainmentJune 24, 2026 6 min

Stonebwoy's TORCHER II Doesn't Chase the Room — It Builds One

YoungstaCPT's 'Wes-Kaap' Turns Ten — and Cape Town Has Never Sounded More Permanent
musicJune 24, 2026 4 min

YoungstaCPT's 'Wes-Kaap' Turns Ten — and Cape Town Has Never Sounded More Permanent

Nasty C Gives the Bad Hair Cover Back to the People Who Built It
musicJune 24, 2026 4 min

Nasty C Gives the Bad Hair Cover Back to the People Who Built It

Big Zulu Put His Daughter on the Record. One Million People Felt It.
musicJune 24, 2026 4 min

Big Zulu Put His Daughter on the Record. One Million People Felt It.

Burna Boy's Nine Billboard Entries Don't Tell the Full Story — His Six Consecutive Years Do
entertainmentJune 24, 2026 4 min

Burna Boy's Nine Billboard Entries Don't Tell the Full Story — His Six Consecutive Years Do

Sarkodie and Shatta Wale Chose the Culture Over the Conflict
musicJune 14, 2026 5 min

Sarkodie and Shatta Wale Chose the Culture Over the Conflict

O'Kenneth and Kwaku DMC's 'Far From Home' — Asakaa's First Diaspora Anthem
musicJune 3, 2026 6 min

O'Kenneth and Kwaku DMC's 'Far From Home' — Asakaa's First Diaspora Anthem

Maraza Dropped 30 Tracks When Everyone Said Make 12 — That's the Whole Point
musicMay 30, 2026 5 min

Maraza Dropped 30 Tracks When Everyone Said Make 12 — That's the Whole Point

Rema Closes FIFA's World Cup Anthem — Nigeria Didn't Ask Permission
musicMay 24, 2026 5 min

Rema Closes FIFA's World Cup Anthem — Nigeria Didn't Ask Permission

Cassper Nyovest's 'PHUNYUKA BAMPHETHE' Isn't a Pivot. It's a Permission Slip.
musicMay 22, 2026 5 min

Cassper Nyovest's 'PHUNYUKA BAMPHETHE' Isn't a Pivot. It's a Permission Slip.

Maglera Doe Boy Shot Rossimoda's Campaign in His Klerksdorp Township—and Invented 'Ntariana' in the Process
musicMay 21, 2026 4 min

Maglera Doe Boy Shot Rossimoda's Campaign in His Klerksdorp Township—and Invented 'Ntariana' in the Process

Fela Finally Gets His Flowers: Africa’s First Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
musicFebruary 2, 2026 1 min

Fela Finally Gets His Flowers: Africa’s First Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award