Afrobeat deserves a category in the Grammy – DJ MC Rayan

Having conquered the African continent, DJ MC Rayan has made in-roads into the highly competitive music industry in the USA and is regarded as one of the most successful DJs out of Africa championing the promotion of Afrobeat sound to global audience. MC Rayan bares his mind on the Afrobeat, Enjoy the excerpts

MY TAKE ON AFROBEAT
Afrobeats is upbeat and fun. With its energetic melodies it has got people dancing all over the word despite the different cultures we share.

This genre has come a long and joyous way in a very short time giving jobs and career opportunities to a lot of people. It can be argued that Afrobeats is now recognized and accepted in every corner of the globe.

Afrobeats has spread from Africa to the United Kingdom and, now, is played in clubs all over the world. It has gotten to a point where it’s been rewarded by major brands worldwide as insanely talented Nigerian and African artists have paved their own way to international success.

AFROBEAT COMPETING WITH OTHER MUSIC GENRES
Why not? We are already taking over. Afrobeat is being played everywhere, most DJs all over the world have many Afrobeat records and play it in events and clubs. As an African DJ playing my trade in the USA I can tell you for a fact that Afrobeat is massive already and would be the next big genre of music, worldwide.

AFRICAN ARTIST AND GRAMMY AWARD.
African artist has done very well on the international stage. Afrobeat is the future of music but more needs to be done by the academy to give Afrobeat the respect it deserves. I strongly feel there should be a category for Afrobeat where leading afrobeat acts who have proven themselves within a calendar year can compete against each other. We need Grammy award categories like Afrobeat Artist of the year, afrobeat song of the year, Afrobeat album of the year, etc. We cannot be subjected to just one or two categories, afrobeat is now a global sound.

NIGERIAN DOMINANCE OF AFROBEAT.
I don’t really feel Nigeria is dominating the African music space, there are many amazing acts from all over Africa doing well in their territory and beyond. Shout out to all of them but we must commend the tenacity of Nigerian artists; from Burnaboy, Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa savage, Yemi and the new kids on the block. These guys are top top and pushing Afrobeat to a new level, but we must not forget the pacesetters such as Baba Fela, 2baba and many more. Afrobeat isn’t just a Nigerian sound again, it is the African sound.

THE ARTIST I NEVER FORGET TO PLAY HIS SONG WHILE DJYING.
Davido. The energy in Davido songs is top notch and the fans can relate to his music at the first drop.

AFRICAN DJS LOOKING TO CROSS-OVER TO THE USA MARKET?
Well, it takes much to break into the US music industry and as a DJ, you need to work even more and be connected to the right people. Self-confidence is one of the important elements that will set you to success. It takes extreme hard-work and persistence to elevate, stay focused and keep pushing. Also branding is key, learn to package your craft in an appealing way and also brand yourself as a public figure that you are.