OkayAfrica: Difference between revisions
m Dating maintenance tags: {{Ref improve}} {{Cn}} |
→History: added citations |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
== History == |
== History == |
||
Launched in 1999, [[Okayplayer]] was one of the first online hubs through which fans could interact directly with their favorite artists.{{cn|date=January 2017}} According to [[Questlove|QuestLove]], the site was originally a medium to chronicle the day to day life of his band, [[The Roots]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/03/the-oral-history-of-okayplayer|title=The Oral History of Okayplayer|website=Complex|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> However, it became a hub for [[Urban contemporary|urban music]], politics, arts, and lifestyle.{{cn |
Launched in 1999, [[Okayplayer]] was one of the first online hubs through which fans could interact directly with their favorite artists.<ref name=":1" />{{cn|date=January 2017}} According to [[Questlove|QuestLove]], the site was originally a medium to chronicle the day to day life of his band, [[The Roots]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/03/the-oral-history-of-okayplayer|title=The Oral History of Okayplayer|website=Complex|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> However, it became a hub for [[Urban contemporary|urban music]], politics, arts, and lifestyle.{{cn}}<ref name=":1" /> In addition to daily blog updates, the site featured popular [[Internet forum|messenger boards]]. Based in New York, Okayplayer eventually expanded into a label that produced live events.<ref name=":1" />{{cn|date=January 2017}} Today, the site also hosts affiliated specialists sites: the Revivalist for jazz, OkayAfrica for African music, LargeUp for reggae, and OkayFuture for electronic music.<ref name=":1" /> |
||
In an interview with [[The One (magazine)|One Magazine]], OkayAfrica Vice President Ginny Suss, stated, |
In an interview with [[The One (magazine)|One Magazine]], OkayAfrica Vice President Ginny Suss, stated, |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
“We realized that there is no place on the web that acted as a hub for all the new [African] music, culture, art and politics and the amazing culture that was being generated on the continent that was really relevant to youth culture today. We came up with the concept of creating a one-stop shop, interactive community where our main focus is new progressive African music and also feature culture, film, art and lifestyle.”<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.one.org/us/2013/06/27/okayafrica-staying-in-touch-with-youth-culture-in-africa/|title=Okayafrica: Staying in touch with youth culture in Africa|date=2013-06-27|newspaper=ONE|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> |
“We realized that there is no place on the web that acted as a hub for all the new [African] music, culture, art and politics and the amazing culture that was being generated on the continent that was really relevant to youth culture today. We came up with the concept of creating a one-stop shop, interactive community where our main focus is new progressive African music and also feature culture, film, art and lifestyle.”<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.one.org/us/2013/06/27/okayafrica-staying-in-touch-with-youth-culture-in-africa/|title=Okayafrica: Staying in touch with youth culture in Africa|date=2013-06-27|newspaper=ONE|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> |
||
OkayAfrica created a [[Digital Age|digital space]] for modern African music and culture.{{cn|date=January 2017}} Since its founding in 2011, OkayAfrica has gained a strong following with [[Afropolitan|Afropolitans]], particularly those in the diaspora.{{cn|date=January 2017}} Afropolitan is a term coined by Ghanaian Writer [[Taiye Selasi]] in her 2005 essay [http://thelip.robertsharp.co.uk/?p=76 "Bye-Bye, Babar (Or: What is an Afropolitan?)] written for [[Lip Magazine]].{{cn|date=January 2017}} The term used to describe OkayAfrica’s target audience, a new generation of Africans that are creative, politically aware, multicultural, with roots firmly on the African continent.{{cn|date=January 2017}} The site allows young people living in the diaspora who want to stay tuned to what’s happening in their home countries.{{cn|date=January 2017}} |
OkayAfrica created a [[Digital Age|digital space]] for modern African music and culture.<ref name=":3" />{{cn|date=January 2017}} Since its founding in 2011, OkayAfrica has gained a strong following with [[Afropolitan|Afropolitans]], particularly those in the diaspora.<ref name=":3" />{{cn|date=January 2017}} Afropolitan is a term coined by Ghanaian Writer [[Taiye Selasi]] in her 2005 essay [http://thelip.robertsharp.co.uk/?p=76 "Bye-Bye, Babar (Or: What is an Afropolitan?)] written for [[Lip Magazine]].{{cn|date=January 2017}} The term used to describe OkayAfrica’s target audience, a new generation of Africans that are creative, politically aware, multicultural, with roots firmly on the African continent.<ref name=":2" />{{cn|date=January 2017}} The site allows young people living in the diaspora who want to stay tuned to what’s happening in their home countries.{{cn|date=January 2017}} |
||
In an interview with [[Black Enterprise]] Magazine, CEO [[Abiola Oke]] underscores the sites popularity as a sign that African entertainment and music culture is going through a golden age online.<ref name=":0" /> At the age of 34, he was appointed CEO of OkayAfrica. Today, the site attracts 1 million unique page views a month, mostly from the USA, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Additionally, the site offers different edition covering all 54 countries in Africa to cater to the complexity of the continent.Oke says the sites main age group is 25-35.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201608221049.html|title=Africa: Okay Africa Wants to 'Project African Talent to a Global Audience in a Different Way' - Online and Video Site With a Million Uniques and Live Events|date=2016-08-22|newspaper=Digital Content Africa (London)|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> Oke identified [[The Fader]], [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]], and [http://trueafrica.co/ TrueAfrica] as major competitors. OkayAfrica popularity is also reflected in the site’s social media presence It has 250,000 likes on [[Facebook]], 100,000 followers on [[Instagram]] and 50,000 + followers on [[Twitter]].<ref name=":3" /> |
In an interview with [[Black Enterprise]] Magazine, CEO [[Abiola Oke]] underscores the sites popularity as a sign that African entertainment and music culture is going through a golden age online.<ref name=":0" /> At the age of 34, he was appointed CEO of OkayAfrica. Today, the site attracts 1 million unique page views a month, mostly from the USA, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Additionally, the site offers different edition covering all 54 countries in Africa to cater to the complexity of the continent.Oke says the sites main age group is 25-35.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201608221049.html|title=Africa: Okay Africa Wants to 'Project African Talent to a Global Audience in a Different Way' - Online and Video Site With a Million Uniques and Live Events|date=2016-08-22|newspaper=Digital Content Africa (London)|access-date=2017-01-15}}</ref> Oke identified [[The Fader]], [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]], and [http://trueafrica.co/ TrueAfrica] as major competitors. OkayAfrica popularity is also reflected in the site’s social media presence It has 250,000 likes on [[Facebook]], 100,000 followers on [[Instagram]] and 50,000 + followers on [[Twitter]].<ref name=":3" /> |
||
Revision as of 15:08, 16 January 2017
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) |
OkayAfrica is a digital media platform dedicated to African culture, music and politics. Founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of The Roots frontman QuestLove’s Okayplayer, the site has become a popular destination for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.[1] Today, OkayAfrica is the largest US based website focusing on new and progressive music, art, politics and culture from the African continent.[2]
History
Launched in 1999, Okayplayer was one of the first online hubs through which fans could interact directly with their favorite artists.[3][citation needed] According to QuestLove, the site was originally a medium to chronicle the day to day life of his band, The Roots.[3] However, it became a hub for urban music, politics, arts, and lifestyle.[citation needed][3] In addition to daily blog updates, the site featured popular messenger boards. Based in New York, Okayplayer eventually expanded into a label that produced live events.[3][citation needed] Today, the site also hosts affiliated specialists sites: the Revivalist for jazz, OkayAfrica for African music, LargeUp for reggae, and OkayFuture for electronic music.[3]
In an interview with One Magazine, OkayAfrica Vice President Ginny Suss, stated,
“We realized that there is no place on the web that acted as a hub for all the new [African] music, culture, art and politics and the amazing culture that was being generated on the continent that was really relevant to youth culture today. We came up with the concept of creating a one-stop shop, interactive community where our main focus is new progressive African music and also feature culture, film, art and lifestyle.”[4]
OkayAfrica created a digital space for modern African music and culture.[5][citation needed] Since its founding in 2011, OkayAfrica has gained a strong following with Afropolitans, particularly those in the diaspora.[5][citation needed] Afropolitan is a term coined by Ghanaian Writer Taiye Selasi in her 2005 essay "Bye-Bye, Babar (Or: What is an Afropolitan?) written for Lip Magazine.[citation needed] The term used to describe OkayAfrica’s target audience, a new generation of Africans that are creative, politically aware, multicultural, with roots firmly on the African continent.[4][citation needed] The site allows young people living in the diaspora who want to stay tuned to what’s happening in their home countries.[citation needed]
In an interview with Black Enterprise Magazine, CEO Abiola Oke underscores the sites popularity as a sign that African entertainment and music culture is going through a golden age online.[1] At the age of 34, he was appointed CEO of OkayAfrica. Today, the site attracts 1 million unique page views a month, mostly from the USA, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Additionally, the site offers different edition covering all 54 countries in Africa to cater to the complexity of the continent.Oke says the sites main age group is 25-35.[5] Oke identified The Fader, Vice, and TrueAfrica as major competitors. OkayAfrica popularity is also reflected in the site’s social media presence It has 250,000 likes on Facebook, 100,000 followers on Instagram and 50,000 + followers on Twitter.[5]
Accolades from African writers and intellectuals
The site has also received praise from African artists and intellectuals. Nigerian sociologist Oreoluwa Somolu notes that one of the biggest selling points is that it's made by Africans for Africans.[6] She believes OkayAfrica allows African’s to exercise control over their own narratives in mainstream media. Congolese Author, Alain Mabanckou writes that platforms like Okayafrica important because they promote accessibility to information and participation in cultural, political, and social dialogue.[7] Cameroonian Intellectual Achille Mbembe praised OkayAfrica at the Goethe-Institut’s African Futures Festival in Johannesburg for promoting knowledge production amongst African youth.[8]
Content
Music
The Rise of Afrobeats
Afrobeat was popularized in 1970s-era Nigeria by musician and activist Fela Kuti. Today, the genre was grown into modern African club music, otherwise known as Afrobeats. This contemporary rendition offers a blend of traditional African music, hip-hop, funk and pop. Afrobeats has taken center stage in the global industry with artists like Drake and Beyonce, borrowing sounds from Africa like Wizkid (Nigeria) and ‘Bonfires’ Kouyaté (Guinea).[9] Drake’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, One Dance, was written and produced by Wizkid.[10]
OkayAfrica is one few websites that predominantly cover and center modern Afrobeats. OkayAfrica is also an event promoter and producer. On July 29, 2016, OkayAfrica organized Okayafrica: Afrobeat x Afrobeats, a concert headlined by Nigerian pop star Davido and Brooklyn-based Afrobeat band Antibalas at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors, America’s longest running free outdoor festival. This was the first time in history that African musician’s had headlined the festival.[11]
- ^ a b "Young & Disrupting: Okayafrica CEO Talks Journey From Wall Street to Emerging Culture Brand". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "Rethink Africa Party | Yale Greenberg World Fellows". worldfellows.yale.edu. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ a b c d e "The Oral History of Okayplayer". Complex. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ a b "Okayafrica: Staying in touch with youth culture in Africa". ONE. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ a b c d "Africa: Okay Africa Wants to 'Project African Talent to a Global Audience in a Different Way' - Online and Video Site With a Million Uniques and Live Events". Digital Content Africa (London). 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ Somolu, Oreoluwa (2007-01-01). "'Telling Our Own Stories': African Women Blogging for Social Change". Gender and Development. 15 (3): 477–489.
- ^ Mabanckou, Alain; Thomas, Dominic (2008-01-01). "New Technologies and the Popular: Alain Mabanckou's Blog". Research in African Literatures. 39 (4): 58–71.
- ^ "Discussing African Futures With Achille Mbembe". OkayAfrica. 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ Hancox, Dan (2012-01-19). "The rise of Afrobeats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "Drake Is Number One: Is America Embracing Global Pop?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "NYC Will Never Forget 'Okayafrica: Afrobeat x Afrobeats' with Davido + Antibalas at Lincoln Center Out of Doors". OkayAfrica. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2017-01-15.