Miriam Makeba was the first African to win a Grammy, but only when she partnered with a US star, Harry Belafonte.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
African artists with major US industry support have the advantage - now more than ever.
Members of Wu-Tang Clan at Glastonbury 2019. The group took their name from the 1983 Kung Fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang.
Wikimedia
Global hip-hop takes many cues from Kung Fu. Contrary to what denouncers might think, there is a rhyme and reason to using ‘words as weapons’.
Hugh Masekela: one of the great jazz trumpeters was often relegated to the ‘world music’ section.
EPA/Skip Bolen
There are many sub-genres of Hip Hop, so why is all non-Anglophone music lumped under the label ‘world music’?
Nigerian 80s artist William Onyeabor.
Luaka Bop
The search for old or new African sounds is based around a nostalgia culture that is endemic to Anglo-American popular music.
Congo’s most famous musician Papa Wemba, performing at a concert in Kinshasa in 2004.
Reuters/ David Lewis
Popular African musician Papa Wemba, who died recently, has been close to the heartbeat of the continent’s music. His influence will continue long after his death.