Oliver Akinfeleye, better known by his professional name “Drummer,” has dedicated the past several years to capturing the rise of Afrobeats through his lens. A New Yorker of Nigerian descent, Drummer began photographing the scene in 2017 and quickly gained exclusive behind-the-scenes access to some of the genre’s biggest stars, including Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy.
His new photo book, Eagle Eye, is a vivid testament to Afrobeats’ evolution. It charts the genre’s path from small venues serving diaspora communities to stadium-filling global tours and mainstream award recognition.
“I remember my first project with Wizkid like it was yesterday—Echostage Washington DC, 2017,” Drummer told the BBC. “The feeling was exhilarating. It was my job to tell the visual story of how it all went down.”
The Roots of a Movement
Afrobeats is not just a genre but a cultural phenomenon with deep roots in West Africa’s musical history. Its lineage includes Ghana’s Highlife music, which flourished from the late 19th century and became a defining sound of Ghanaian identity after independence in 1957.
That tradition influenced Nigerian legend Fela Kuti, who developed Afrobeat (without the “s”) in the 1970s—a potent mix of traditional rhythms, jazz, and funk that became the sound of political consciousness and cultural pride across West Africa.
At the turn of the millennium, these rich musical traditions converged with Western pop, rap, and dancehall to create what we now know as Afrobeats. Initially popular in small diaspora venues in the UK and North America during the early 2010s, the genre’s popularity soon surged.
Between 2017 and 2022 alone, Afrobeats streams on Spotify grew by a staggering 550%, transforming many of its artists into global household names and drawing the attention of the broader music industry, including mainstream award shows like the Grammys.
Moments on Stage and Behind the Scenes
Drummer’s work documents this meteoric rise in striking detail. From the electrifying energy of sold-out arenas like Madison Square Garden to quiet, reflective moments backstage, his photography offers an insider’s perspective on a global movement.
“Madison Square was a night to remember—the iconic venue illuminated in the colours of the Nigerian flag honouring our homeland,” he said of Wizkid’s 2023 performance in New York City.
The photographer recalls how the scale of these shows—and the audiences themselves—changed over time, becoming more international with fans in countries as far afield as China, Germany, and Brazil.
He also highlights the genre’s growing crossover appeal, with non-African artists adopting Afrobeats sounds. American R&B star Chris Brown, for instance, recorded Blow My Mind with Davido and has shared the stage with Wizkid in London.
“I love this picture because when Wizkid brought Chris Brown out at The O2 arena, the place exploded. No one saw it coming—the energy shifted instantly,” Drummer said of one memorable shot from 2021. “Shock, excitement and pure electricity. A moment stamped in memory and in history.”
A Photographer’s Vision
For Drummer, Eagle Eye isn’t just a collection of images—it’s an attempt to let viewers experience the world as he did.
“I always felt that I was capturing moments with just my eyes. Walking the streets of New York City, I would frame scenes in my mind—people, light, emotion,” he explained. “I’d ask myself, how do I translate this mental perspective to reality?”
That vision includes not just the spectacular but the subtle. One of his favourite photos, he says, shows Wizkid quietly checking his phone backstage—a “rare quiet moment” that still radiates the artist’s presence.
In the end, Drummer’s work captures the essence of Afrobeats itself: a genre that is both deeply personal and explosively communal, rooted in African heritage yet endlessly adaptable, and capable of thrilling audiences across every corner of the globe.