# Afrobeats Intelligence presented by OkayAfrica Afrobeats Intelligence is a weekly podcast and newsletter on African music curated by multi-award winning journalist, Joey Akan. It is published every Monday. Page: Feed: --- ## [Wale Was Never Given the Benefit of the Doubt](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/wale-was-never-given-the-benefit) _2026-07-28 · Joey Akan_ The US rap legend built the bridge to Nigeria while nobody was watching. Now Nigeria is watching, and it's not quite the same thing. ## [Mavo Wants You to Want Him First](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/mavo-wants-you-to-want-him-first) _2026-07-21 · Joey Akan_ Mavo was named to be famous, but trains to save lives. The result of that balancing act has made him the leader of a new creative generation. ## [Dr Sid Is Still On The Field](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/dr-sid-is-still-on-the-field) _2026-07-13 · Joey Akan_ From backup dancer to Mo'Hits hitmaker to esports pioneer, Dr. Sid has always been building something larger than himself. The only surprise is how clearly he knew that from the start. ## [Sarz Believes in Destiny, As Long As He Controls It](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/sarz-believes-in-destiny-as-long) _2026-06-30 · Joey Akan_ Eighteen years into building modern Afrobeats from the drum up, the decorated producer is still negotiating the same question that started his career: who gets paid when the song works? ## [Excel Joab: The Man Who Reads the Room](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/excel-joab-the-man-who-reads-the) _2026-06-24 · Joey Akan_ Excel Joab came to music wanting to write about it. Eleven years later, he's one of the sharpest minds operating inside it. ## [Kcee: The King Who Stayed](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/kcee-the-king-who-stayed) _2026-06-15 · Joey Akan_ The veteran pop star built hits, lost them, and came back with a genre. Twenty-six years in, he's still the one standing. ## [Ladipoe: The Price Is Never on the Tag](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/ladipoe-the-price-is-never-on-the) _2026-06-08 · Joey Akan_ The Mavin Records rap star has done everything the right way. He's stuck to his guns, and tasted victory. But at what cost? ## [Wale Davies Wants To Die Empty](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/wale-davies-wants-to-die-empty) _2026-06-04 · Joey Akan_ Whether winning in music as Tec, or hoisting BAFTAs, Wale Davis is racing against time to hollow himself. ## [Joshua Baraka: The Star Who Came to Ask Questions](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/joshua-baraka-the-star-who-came-to) _2026-05-28 · Joey Akan_ The East African star is looking ahead, beyond hits and global dominance, into a future where intelligent machines come for human creativity. ## [Shallipopi: The Man Who Made the Clubs Sound Like Him](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/shallipopi-the-man-who-made-the-clubs) _2026-05-22 · Joey Akan_ The Nigerian artist has solidified his position as a staple of African pop culture, weaving his unique artistic vision into Afrobeat's lifeline. ## [Recipe PDFs Ready Fast (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/7fTdlS7jMnuV) _2026-05-22 · **Sponsored**_ Turn online or personal recipes into clean, printable PDFs in seconds. ## [Cannabis, Carnality, & Christ: Inside Omah Lay’s Clarity of Mind"](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/cannabis-carnality-and-christ-inside) _2026-04-07 · Joey Akan_ Omah's sophomore lands with the hard-won wisdom of a depressive veteran learning to live beside his inner tormentors. ## [Afrobeats Created Its Own Grammy Trap](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/afrobeats-created-its-own-grammy) _2026-02-03 · Joey Akan_ Every Grammy night, Afrobeats arrives with hope and leaves with the same question: whose game are we actually playing? ## [Wizkid, Fela, and the only metric that survives time](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/wizkid-fela-and-the-only-metric-that) _2026-01-30 · Joey Akan_ As Wizkid and Seun Kuti clash over Fela's legacy, the industry confronts an uncomfortable truth about greatness. Streams measure the moment, but only time reveals what endures. ## [I Spoke at Meta About Building This](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/i-spoke-at-meta-about-building-this) _2025-11-25 · Joey Akan_ From a Monday newsletter in Ajah to a panel at Meta EMEA: Notes on independent media, creative survival, and archiving culture in real time ## [CANEX Beats: Unlocking the Economic Power of African Music](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/canex-beats-unlocking-the-economic) _2025-11-13 · Joey Akan_ I spent a week in Algeria, chasing African creative industry deals, Wizkid's awe-inspiring performance, fashion shows, and panels. Lots of panels. ## [The Audience Is Ready: Bring Afrobeats Orchestra Home](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/the-audience-is-ready-bring-afrobeats) _2025-11-06 · Joey Akan_ On Nov. 8, the Nigerian superstar will make history as the first African artist to headline Red Bull Symphonic in Brooklyn, with a full orchestra. Lagos deserves this too. ## [Kizz Daniel’s Uncle K: Lemon Chase Is a Bittersweet Triumph](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/kizz-daniels-uncle-k-lemon-chase) _2025-06-23 · Joey Akan_ Kizz Daniel, the Nigerian hitmaker who’s been bending the Afrobeats curve since his 2014 debut “Woju,” has always had a knack for bottling life’s fleeting joys and aches into earworm anthems. ## [400k+ Views, Industry Shifts, and Stories Still Worth Telling.](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/400k-views-industry-shifts-and-stories) _2025-05-28 · Joey Akan_ Gyakie, Joeboy, Timaya — Now Donawon… And We’re Still Just Getting Started. ## [Welcome to Season 4: New Energy, New Platform, Same Mission](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/welcome-to-season-4-new-energy-new) _2025-05-15 · Joey Akan_ We’re Back. Season 4 Is Here. And This Is Just the Beginning. ## [AI Summaries & Audio Briefings (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/DT6tyx702h8w) _2025-05-15 · **Sponsored**_ Read AI summaries and listen to concise audio briefings for the latest stories. ## [RSVP: Attend The New Season Listening Session](https://afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com/p/rsvp-attend-the-new-season-listening) _2025-05-08 · Joey Akan_ Hey family, be the first to check out the new season, in-person!