Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie(L) and Akon(R)
Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie, has expressed appreciation to Senegalese-American music executive Akon, acknowledging his role in the global rise of Afrobeats.
In a post shared on X, Sarkodie gave Akon his ‘flowers’ for being one of the few artistes of African descent who, during their prime years, looked back to support and invest in talents on the continent.
According to Sarkodie, Akon’s contribution to Afrobeats is undeniable and deserves to be documented as a vital part of the genre’s history.
He further noted that it’s not common for globally successful artistes at the peak of their careers to look back to support and help promote other musicians from Africa.
Sarkodie acknowledged that while Afrobeats has grown exponentially over the years and is now dominating the global music scene, it is important not to overlook the foundational work done by Akon.
“Big shouts to the legend, Akon, for what you did for Afrobeats!!! We can’t skip that in history… few artists in their prime will look back and put their people on from the motherland! He did that in a big way! Of course, it’s been bigger and better since but we can’t ignore his contribution to the global dominance of afrobeats,” Sarkodie wrote.
This recognition from Sarkodie comes weeks after Akon, during an interview with Sherri Shepherd, reflected on his involvement in the early development of Afrobeats.
The “Lonely” hitmaker recounted how, following the release of his album Freedom, he became involved with the African music scene, particularly in Nigeria.
“…I was in Africa, and time just flew past. 2008 was my last official album, which was the ‘Freedom’ album. And then I produced the music for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. From there, I went to Nigeria. What we created in Nigeria was what you see and hear now as Afrobeats.
Wizkid was the first Nigerian artiste that we signed back in 2008. We went to work with him and Banky W in Nigeria. From there, we just started developing artists like PSquare, D’banj and others,” Akon shared.
Also, watch an exclusive interview with Ayisi on the latest edition of Talkertainment below:
Big shouts to the legend @Akon for what you did for Afrobeats!!! We can’t skip that in history… few artists at their prime will look back and put their people on from the motherland ! He did that in a big way ! Of course it’s been bigger and better since but we can’t ignore his…
— Sarkodie (@sarkodie) May 29, 2025
AK/EB
