Afrobeats vs Afrobeat: how they differ from Afropop and amapiano

Afrobeats vs Afrobeat is one of music’s most common mix-ups, and one letter makes all the difference. Afrobeat is the 1970s protest sound created by Fela Kuti. Afrobeats, with an “s”, is the umbrella name for today’s West African pop. Below we explain both, plus Afropop, Afro-fusion and South Africa’s amapiano, with sources for each.

By Editorial Team

The short answer

• Afrobeat (no “s”): a genre Fela Kuti built in Nigeria from the late 1960s. It has long, horn-heavy grooves and openly political lyrics.
• Afrobeats (with “s”): a catch-all term for modern pop from Nigeria, Ghana and their diasporas. It became popular in the UK in the early 2010s. Stars include Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tems and Rema.
• Afropop: a loose description of African pop music in general. It is older and broader than “Afrobeats”.
• Afro-fusion: a label some artists prefer for music that mixes Afrobeats with dancehall, R&B, hip-hop and more. Burna Boy is the best-known example.
• Amapiano: a separate genre from South Africa, built on house music, jazz and the synthesised “log drum” bass. It is not a type of Afrobeats, although the two now often mix.

Afrobeat: Fela Kuti’s sound

Afrobeat grew out of Fela Kuti’s bands in Lagos. It combined West African highlife and Yoruba rhythms with American jazz and funk. The songs were long, often ten minutes or more, with big horn sections and lyrics that attacked corruption and military rule.

When the Recording Academy gave Fela a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2026, it called him the father of Afrobeat. It credited him with blending funk, jazz, salsa, calypso and traditional Nigerian rhythms. He was the first African to receive the honour. A year earlier, the Grammy Hall of Fame had inducted Zombie, his 1976 album with Afrika 70. Musicians such as his sons Femi and Seun Kuti and his grandson Made Kuti still record in the style.

Afrobeats vs Afrobeat: where the “s” came from

The term “Afrobeats” is usually credited to London DJ Abrantee. In a 2012 Guardian feature, he said he started using it when his Choice FM show launched in April 2011. He wanted one umbrella name for the hiplife, highlife and Nigerian pop he was playing. He described Fela’s 1960s music as “more instrumental”, while the new sound was “intertwined with things like hip-hop and funky house”.

So Afrobeats is not one fixed style but a marketing and radio umbrella. A typical Afrobeats song is short and melodic, sung in English, Pidgin, Yoruba or Igbo, and built for dancing. It also draws on dancehall, R&B and hip-hop. Most Afrobeats artists are not trying to copy Fela, though many sample or reference him.

The term is now official. Billboard launched its U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart on 29 March 2022, in partnership with Afro Nation. It ranks 50 songs each week using streams and download sales. Billboard pointed to Wizkid’s “Essence” featuring Tems, CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” and Fireboy DML’s “Peru” as hits that drove the genre’s growth in the US.

Afropop and Afro-fusion

“Afropop” has been used for decades to describe popular music from across Africa. Today it often overlaps with Afrobeats, especially outside Nigeria. When the Recording Academy created its Best African Music Performance category, its announcement listed Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Alte, Amapiano, Highlife and Fuji as separate styles it covers.

“Afro-fusion” is often a matter of how artists choose to describe themselves. Grammy.com has noted that Burna Boy prefers to call his music Afro-fusion rather than Afrobeats. Alté, another term on the Academy’s list, describes a more experimental, alternative strand of Nigerian music.

Amapiano: South Africa’s sound

According to a GRAMMY.com history of the genre, amapiano was born in Gauteng province, around Pretoria and Johannesburg, in the mid-2010s. Its birth is usually dated to about 2014. It blends deep house, jazz and lounge with kwaito, runs at roughly 110 to 120 beats per minute and is built around the “log drum”, a synthesised bass sound. The name comes from the Zulu word for “pianos”.

Nigerian artists adopted the sound quickly, producing what is often called Afropiano. GRAMMY.com cites Kizz Daniel and Tekno’s “Buga” and Davido’s “Unavailable” featuring Musa Keys as major examples. Asake and Olamide’s song literally titled “Amapiano” was nominated for a Grammy in 2024.

The overlap explains why South African Tyla’s “Water” is so often filed under Afrobeats. GRAMMY.com calls it an amapiano-infused Afropop song. It topped Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and won the first Grammy for Best African Music Performance.

Afrobeats vs Afrobeat at a glance

Why the labels matter

Genre names decide which awards and charts artists compete in. The MTV VMAs gave out a Best Afrobeats award from 2023 to 2025 and then dropped it in 2026. As we reported, Burna Boy and Tems had to compete in general categories that year. The Grammys use the broader “African Music Performance”. For how Nigerian artists have fared there, see our history of Nigerian Grammy winners.

The labels also shape touring and marketing. Artists such as Young Jonn, whose producer-to-singer story we covered when he headlined OVO Arena Wembley, are sold to international crowds as Afrobeats acts, whatever mix of styles is in the music.

What to watch

The 2027 Grammy nominations are due on 16 November 2026, when we will see which African styles make the Best African Music Performance shortlist. Also watch Billboard’s weekly U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for Afropiano and amapiano crossovers. More in our Afrobeats and Music sections.

Sources

• The Guardian: The rise of Afrobeats (19 January 2012)
• Billboard: U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart launch (22 March 2022)
• Recording Academy: 2026 Special Merit Awards (Fela Kuti)
• Recording Academy: New categories for the 2024 Grammys (13 June 2023)
• GRAMMY.com: Amapiano’s decade-long journey (13 September 2024)
• GRAMMY.com: Burna Boy, Tyla and Africa’s moment at the 2024 Grammys
• Recording Academy: 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees