BOOKS

A QUICK TING ON AFROBEATS

WORDS | DUNSTAN CREAVALLE

Billed as the first-ever book on the Afrobeats genre, Christian Adofo’s A Quick Ting on Afrobeats is his debut book. The title is part of Magdalene Abrahas’s non-fiction Black British book series, which is dedicated to celebrating and chronicling black British culture and history and features some of the UK’s Black British trailblazers.

Christian Adofo is a North-East Londoner of Ghanaian heritage, an established writer and cultural curator. He’s an experienced critic on the nuances of the Black experience and the ways it manifests itself creatively. His writing looks at the intersect of heritage and identity in music and culture across the cultural landscape. He’s known for his feature articles across print, online and broadcast media such as The Guardian, OkayAfrica and Straight No Chaser. He has made several appearances since 2010 as a guest speaker and host on BBC Radio, Worldwide FM and NTS Radio, discussing Black identity and its impact on culture in the UK and abroad.

The book offers a unique insight into the music of the African Diaspora, first and subsequent generations, delving into the ways afrobeats and its sub-genres have provided new articulations of black identity and pride - from Beyoncé to Wizkid. The Afrobeats pioneers are given their due recognition and memorable cultural moments are celebrated. An engaging and vibrant commentator, Adofo acknowledges seminal figures and interviews burgeoning talents across the creative spectrum within the African diaspora. He also investigates the impact of African migration, travel and modernisation on the genre. The book provides an insightful look at how Afrobeats became the explosive music genre it is today.

A Quick Ting on Afrobeats is published by Jacaranda Books at £9.99 (ISBN 978 1 91309 051 7)