As Afrobeat’s global popularity grows, emphasis is turning from musicians to the ecosystems that support the genre outside of Africa. From London to Toronto, diaspora places now play an important part in how Afrobeat grows, matures, and integrates into new cultural surroundings. While streaming services assist to spread the sound, live cultural platforms including as festivals, tours, and customised music experiences continue to play an important role in how the genre moves and connects people.
In this setting, a new type of cultural figure has emerged: the independent curator. These individuals impact how African music is presented, experienced, and understood abroad, not just as promoters or performers. Nigerian-born curator Kolade Oluwadimimu, also known as KINGDRUMZ, symbolises an emerging role in the UK’s developing Afrobeat scene, notably outside of London’s conventional industry areas.
Independent curators have an impact on the artistic direction of live experiences, in contrast to traditional promoters who are primarily concerned with practicalities. Their judgements have an impact on event lineups, audience exposure, and the cultural tone. Over the last few years, KINGDRUMZ has established a body of work in Scotland that focusses on Afrobeat-focused concerts and tours meant as cultural experiences rather than ordinary nightlife entertainment. His programming combines mainstream Nigerian artists, rising performers, and famous DJs, highlighting the diversity of Afrobeat and Afro-fusion.
This method views curation as cultural storytelling. Instead of depending exclusively on commercially safe bookings, he shapes audience taste and broadens exposure to many strands of African sound by building events around musical and thematic cohesiveness.
The scope and reach of this work emphasise its significance. KINGDRUMZ has helped establish viable platforms for African music in cities that are not traditionally known as Afrobeat hubs by hosting events such as XCAPE & UK BLOCK PARTY in Scotland, a recurring Afrobeat experience that draws sold-out crowds, and concerts featuring artists such as Slimcase, Johnny Drille, and DJ Enimoney. His engagement with DJ Scoophy’s multi-city UK “Lagos to London” tour exemplifies another aspect of the curator’s role: fostering cultural exchange. Such tours enable musicians to create physical audiences, while diaspora groups interact with the music together rather than solely digitally.
Particularly noteworthy is the ability to build crowds in Scotland, which is frequently overlooked by prominent UK Afrobeat circuits. This decentralisation helps to further integrate the genre into the UK’s live music ecology, broadening its cultural footprint outside established metropolitan areas.
The international popularity of Afrobeat is rooted in both culture and music. For diaspora communities, live events serve as places of recognition and shared identity. By presenting his concerts as immersive “experiences,” with a persistent emphasis on Afro-fusion aesthetics and African music, KINGDRUMZ’s platforms function as locations of cultural participation rather than just entertainment.
As Afrobeat’s worldwide infrastructure evolves, independent curators gain importance. They help the genre thrive in the long run by providing platforms for performers, bringing audiences to new sounds, and integrating these experiences in diaspora cultural life. In this way, curators construct the global story of Afrobeat by creating locations where the music may live.
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