How ‘Musically Rich’ Latin-Afrobeats Crossover Efforts Have Led to Countless Chart Hits

The fusion of Latin euphony and Afrobeats has deed a caller frequence recently, gathering connected a yearslong overlap betwixt the 2 genres that has present exploded into the mainstream. For Ozuna’s 2023 album, Afro, the creator teamed up with Nigerian musicians Davido and Omah Lay. In aboriginal 2024, Feid and Afrobeats sensation Rema joined forces connected “Bubalu,” which topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart. And aboriginal that year, Rauw Alejandro’s “Santa” featured Rvssian and Nigerian vocalist Ayra Starr.

Since then, much Latin acts experimenting with the genre person entered the Billboard charts: Shakira’s “Soltera” became her 24th No. 1 connected Latin Airplay; Boza and Elena Rose’s flirty “orióN” deed No. 2 connected Latin Pop Airplay; and Ozuna scored his 33rd Latin Airplay No. 1 this twelvemonth with “Sirenita.” As Afro Colombian singer-songwriter Gloria “Goyo” Martínez — 1 of the Latin artists embracing Afrobeats who volition talk connected the taxable astatine Billboard’s Latin Music Week aboriginal successful October — puts it, “It’s musically rich… and it refreshes what was antecedently happening successful the manufacture with reggaetón.”

Goyo

On her 2025 debut solo album, Pantera, Goyo — who gained fame arsenic portion of the Latin Grammy Award-winning radical ChocQuibTown — explored the sounds of Afrobeats by traveling to London to enactment with immoderate of the genre’s expat producers, specified arsenic Afro B connected the way “Diana.” “The dependable of our collaboration is much Ugandan,” says Goyo, 43. “Afrobeats has galore currents, and I had the accidental to bring respective of those sounds that are wrong the genre to my project.”

Kapo

Kapo spent 15 years trying to marque it successful music, but aft visiting The Bob Marley Museum successful Jamaica, his imaginativeness clicked. “After that visit, I worked connected ‘Ohnana,’ ” the Colombian creator recalls of his 2024 hit. “I was successful a vibe and successful different tune with my vocal tones.” The feel-good Afrobeats opus scored him his archetypal Billboard illustration entry, peaking astatine No. 30 connected the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. illustration successful 2024. Since, the 27-year-old has remained a unit connected the charts, earning entries connected Top Latin Albums, Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay, among others.

Venesti

Venesti, 30, scored his archetypal Billboard illustration introduction erstwhile “Necesidad” debuted connected Latin Rhythm Airplay successful 2022. However, it was his Afrobeats-influenced “Umaye” that earned the Colombian creator his archetypal No. 1 connected the Latin Rhythm Airplay and Latin Airplay charts successful 2023. And past year, his “No Es Normal” (in collaboration with Nacho and Maffio) won Latin popular opus of the twelvemonth astatine the Billboard L...