West Africa is a region with a rich musical and artistic tradition that stretches back thousands of years. The musical and artistic traditions of West Africa have their roots in ancient civilizations, such as the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire and the Yoruba Kingdoms. These empires had highly developed art forms including music, dance, sculpture and poetry.

The music of West Africa has a significant history and can be traced back to the traditional West African music which can be distinguished by two distinct categories such as the “Islamic music” and “secular music”. The widespread influence on Islam on culture in West Africa dates back to the 9th century, facilitated by the introduction of camels to trade routes between the North of Africa and West Africa. Islam-influenced West African music commonly includes the use of stringed instruments like “goje”, while secular traditional West African music incorporates greater use of drums such as the “djembe”.

The forced migration of Africans to America as a result of the transatlantic slave trade gave rise to “Kaiso” music which has influenced the sounds of “calypso”, a style with major popularity throughout West Africa.

The sounds of popular music throughout West Africa are comparable to a combination of Western, Latin American and traditional African music. Genres such as Highlife, Afro-calypso and African Jazz have developed over time.

Highlife is an upbeat, multi-instrumental and jovial style of music which is sung in many regional languages including Igbo, Yoruba and Ewe. The original form of highlife holds ur origins in Ghana which dates back to the 19th century, when the “Gold coast” was established. A major factor in highlife’s increase in popularity during the mid-20th century was the desire to raise spirits after World War II.

Calypso music remains popular throughout West Africa. Developed from kaiso, the sounds of calypso are similar to highlife but differ slightly in lyrics and instrumentation.

Many genres and styles of popular music throughout the Caribbean and French Antilles have their roots in West Africa due to transatlantic slave trading under various European colonial empires. This involved mass transportation of West African people who took with them the distinct sounds of their musical culture.

Afrobeat is a music genre with major popularity throughout West Africa. Originating in Ghana in the early 20th century. Afrobeat grew in popularity in the 1960s. This growth was mainly due to the fame of “Fela Kuti” also known as the “father of Afrobeat” and other pivotal artists such as Tony Allen and Ebo Taylor. Fela Kuti devised the term “Afrobeat” in 1968 in his home country, Nigeria.

The earlier sounds of Afrobeat have influenced western artists such as British producer, Brian Eno and American rapper, Talib Kweli, while American EDM group, Major Lazer are known for the regular inclusion of rhythms inspired by Afrobeat in their music.

Afrobeat is commonly confused with Afrobeats, the latter being a more general term used to describe popular contemporary music throughout west Africa. A distinct trait of Afrobeats sound is its focus on drum rhythms commonly made electronically. Davido, Wizkid, Burna boy, are highly popular West African afrobeats artists.

The instruments used in West African music are often percussion instruments such as djembe also known as the “magic drum” or the “healing drum”, balafon, stringed instruments, kora, xalam, goje, etc.

Conclusively, the musical and artistic traditions of West Africa are deeply rooted in the region’s history and have been influenced by its diverse cultures. These traditions plays a vital role of the region’s identity and will continue to thrive in the future.