In a compelling interview clip shared on X, Nigerian music mogul Obi Asika credits the pioneering duo Junior and Pretty with laying the foundation for Afrobeats. Asika underscores their role in fusing local language, street slang, and relatable storytelling with rhythm-driven beats — a blueprint that predated and shaped what the world now knows as Afrobeats.
“Those guys created the culture,” Asika emphasized, urging the music community to recognize their influence.
"Junior and Pretty started Afrobeats," Asika declared in the clip. "They were the ones who blended pidgin rap, Nigerian street culture, and our rhythm into something uniquely ours. They set the tone before anyone else."
The duo,Obi Asika vividly recalls the day Junior and Pretty walked into his office with a raw, Western-style rap sound. The duo, fresh out of Ajegunle — one of Lagos’ most vibrant but gritty neighborhoods — were brimming with talent and energy but disconnected from their roots in their sound.
“They came in rapping like Americans,” Asika said, “and I told them, ‘This is great, but it’s not you. Go back, make music that speaks from where you’re from.’”
Taking that advice to heart, Junior and Pretty returned a month later with songs like Monika — a track that blended local slang, humor, and relatable narratives, all set to infectious Afrobeat rhythms. It was a sound that captured the streets of Nigeria and deeply resonated with everyday people.
According to Asika, that moment marked a turning point. “They set the pace for what would become Afrobeats,” he said. “They proved that we could be global by being authentically Nigerian.”
Their work laid the groundwork for generations of African artists who now dominate charts worldwide with sounds deeply rooted in their culture.
According to Asika, their approach laid the groundwork for the artists and sounds that followed.
Asika’s comments have reignited debates in the music community about the genre's history and the oft-overlooked pioneers who shaped its early direction.
Watch the full clip here: x.com/NigerianBarz.
0 Comments