The Globalisation of African Beats: Culture, Trends And Opportunities

Audu is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, lawyer and creative industry expert. He is better known as the founder of Chocolate City Group- a media /entertainment company which is comprised of Chocolate City Media (Film,TV and content production), Chocolate City Kenya, CCX (live music space) and Chocolate City Music record label – one of the biggest record labels in Africa – and home to some of Africa’s most talented artistes including Grammy Nominated Femi Kuti, M.I Abaga, Dice Ailes, Ckay, Blaqbonez etc. In March 2019, Chocolate City Group signed a landmark partnership deal with Warner Music Group (one of the biggest record labels in the world) to bring the Warner catalogue to Africa and promote the Chocolate City catalogue and artists across 60 new markets globally.

In 2018, he was invited to join the board of Unanimous Games LLC – a 360 Esports digital company based in New York – that focuses on mobile game development, Esports activations, Content creation , STEM Education and talent management. As Executive Director and Partnerships lead, his portfolio includes companies like Rocnation, BET Networks, PUMA, AfroIsland Initiative and the Government of Barbados.

Born in Kaduna, Nigeria , he attended the prestigious King’s College Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2001. He has served as legal counsel in several corporations including Chief Afe Babalola SAN & Co, Leasing Company of Nigeria (a subsidiary of Bank of Industry), Abuja Markets Management Limited and was Senior Legal consultant with CPCS Transcom International (a Canadian infrastructure advisory firm) where he was lead counsel for major Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE)/World Bank funded projects including the privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) reforms, Abuja Rail Mass Transit system and the Lagos Blue Line Rail Mass Transit project.

He is a passionate advocate for social justice and entrepreneurship as the key to economic empowerment. He has served on various entrepreneurial judging panels including – Microsoft’s Passion to Empire, Etisalat Prize for Innovation, She Leads Africa, Chivas The Venture Competition and served as judge on the M.I.T Inclusive Innovation Global competition in 2018 and 2019.

Audu sits on several boards including Recycle Points (a recycling and waste management company), Global Rights Africa (a human rights and advocacy NGO) , Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and is the Chairman of Beat Drone (a drone tech company).

He is an alumnus of the University of Jos, Pan African University, Lagos and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of management, Boston respectively.

Yvette Gayle serves as COO and Head of Communications & Engagement for Africa Creative Agency, a pan african talent management firm with offices in Los Angeles, Kenya and South Africa. Gayle successfully bridges the continental gap between creatives and corporates wanting to align and do business in new territories. Her roster of clients include Nasty C, Pearl Thusi, Amanda Black, Sauti Sol, and Celeste Ntuli to name a few. Gayle’s noticeable successes also include launching the Jam Africa Stage at the 2019 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans whereby showcasing Africa’s biggest music clientele.

During a career that spans more than three decades, Mrs. Gayle has worked with many of the music industry’s biggest and brightest names. She served as Head of Urban Publicity for Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records from 2001- 2018, where she oversaw the day-to-day media and public relations efforts for such standout IGA labels including Aftermath Entertainment, G Unit Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, Dreamville Records, 10 Summers, Zone 4 Records, and Mosley Music. Her notable accomplishments included crafting superior media campaigns for recording artists such as 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, The Game, Diddy Dirty Money, French Montana, MGK, Keyshia Cole, Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke, and Timbaland to name a few.

As a consultant and personal adviser to 50 Cent, Gayle was instrumental to the success of the mogul’s non music verticals including Vitamin Water, Reebok, G Unit clothing, SMS Audio, G Unit Film & Television and SMS Promotions.

Prior to joining Interscope Records, Gayle spent nearly ten years with Columbia Records Sony Music, where she worked with the label’s urban and jazz rosters including Destiny’s Child, 50 Cent, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, Nas, Kenny Lattimore, Nancy Wilson, Wynton Marsalis, Xscape, Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri and so many more.

Gayle has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from West Virginia University.

A strategic leader with 20 years’ experience in live production, festivals, the recording industry, artist management, television production, marketing and operations for Africa’s largest collection society. Sipho was Vice-President, Creative Kingdom Records USA; VP, Operations, Centre Stage Management, Dubai, Los Angeles; Partner, IAAM Entertainment and CEO, SAMRO.

The South African Government and FIFA engaged Sipho to produce ceremonies for FIFA’s Confederations Cup and 2010’s World Cup, making him one of the creative architects for these momentous occasions.

Sipho oversees Universal Music in Sub-Saharan Africa, expanding into West Africa with companies in Nigeria and Kenya, via the acquisition of AI Records.

My deepest fear is not that I am inadequate. My deepest fear is that I am powerful beyond measure. It is my light, not my darkness, that most frightens me – Paraphrased from the award-winning novel by Mariam Williamson – A Return to Love (1992: HarperCollins)

Nigerian by nationality, African in perspective & Global by experience, Oye Akideinde’s 20years+ experience has been primarily in entertainment, consumer goods, eBusiness, financial, media and digital sectors. With demonstrated initiative & innovation, he has been successful in technology, project management, strategy, marketing, product & business development, giving him a vast set of skills.

Awarded Marketing Edge’s 2018 ‘Digital Entertainment Innovator’, listed in 2016’s Avance Media’s ‘100 Most Influential Young Nigerians’, MeetsMedia ‘Media Personality of September 2016’ & a nominee in 2010’s Future Awards ‘Professional of the year’, Oye holds an MSc in Business Information Systems from the University of Hertfordshire, UK & a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He also led Boomplay Music to win the coveted ‘Best African App’ Award at the AppsAfrica Innovation Awards in 2017.

Oye is the GM Music Services for the MTN Group and has been appointed as the CEO for Music Time, Simfy Africa – a company MTN acquired. He is responsible for strategically developing & managing key relationships to fulfil its vision of becoming Africa’s largest sustainable music ecosystem.

He is also a co-founder of 360nobs Limited, a technology driven media firm that owns 360nobs.com platform- 1 of Africa’s biggest entertainment websites catering to millions of unique visitors monthly. He sits on the board of a few other start-ups

Oye is a member of The Headies Academy for The Headies awards who reward outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. A family man, he likes to be involved in global workshops to contribute to discussions on various trends in Africa and its impacts & possibilities

Adesegun (also known as SMADE) is recognised as one the most successful African entrepreneurs in the U.K. He has not only reintroduced Africans in the diaspora to their culture through music but has also quite literally taken Afrobeats to the world. With more than 30 sold out UK Afrobeats events Smade has contributed to the cultural movement of accepting the Afrobeats genre of music in the U.K; he has given a huge platform to numerous African artists through his concerts whilst opening them up to international labels. In 2019 he and his business partner put on the biggest Afrobeats festival that was Afronation, which was highly spoken about and landed him features with the BBC and FORBES.

Across his career Smade has worked with a number of major acts from the early stages of their careers and firmly believes in supporting and developing the artists from their small beginnings. He has held sold out concerts and festivals in the best venues boasting audiences of over 20,000 people. Taking after his father who is also a successful business owner; Adesegun Adeosun Jnr is not holding back anytime soon as he continually aims ‘to bring the very best in African entertainment to the UK and the rest of the world.’