How does the music made by black artists, from Afrobeat to drill, hip-hop to grime, explore the breadth of blackness?

At a panel discussion with guest speakers Davido, Eve and Dallas Austin, we examine how music reflects and defines cultures.

How do we match the beats of heritage rhythms with contemporary notes? What is the music that made us and how does it offset our truths?

This event is presented in association with Indaba X.

Davido is a singer, songwriter and producer, responsible for seminal tracks Dami Duro and Fall, the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. With two BET Awards, a Nigeria Music Video Award, and two MTV Africa Music Awards, Davido is bringing his music from Atlanta via Lagos to the world.

Dallas Austin is a Record producer, songwriter, musician and film producer. His credits are like a roll call of Black youth culture. He has written for Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Brandy, Monica and Boyz II Men, and his music has featured on the scores of White Men Can’t Jump, Poetic Justice, and The Nutty Professor. Nine time Grammy nominee (and winner in 1999 for TLC’s Fanmail), 2019 saw him inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame, marking well over a decade of greatness.