Ozuna, Goyo & More Talk Afrobeats’ Impact at Latin Music Week 2025: ‘Respect the Roots and Culture’

As Afrobeats gains momentum extracurricular of West Africa, wherever it originated, Latin artists are afloat embracing the bushed and fusing it with their ain signature sounds. Such is the lawsuit for Goyo, Humby, Kapo, Ozuna and Venesti, who were portion of the Afrobeats sheet astatine Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 connected Tuesday (Oct. 21).

Moderated by Billboard‘s Jessica Roiz, the speech focused connected respecting the culture, roots and pioneers that person fueled this genre successful Africa, and however Afrobeats has influenced their latest projects, including Goyo’s debut medium Pantera.

“This question is truthful large and it has brought truthful galore opportunities for Latin artists who sing Afrobeats but are not from Nigeria,” the Colombian prima said. “It is important to respect the roots and culture; but restlessness has led to the Afrobeats question that is being mixed with hip-hop, R&B, and Nigerian music. We person to springiness value to Africa done this genre that unites us.”

Meanwhile, hitmaker Ozuna spoke candidly astir however experimenting with Afrobeats opened doors for him and got him retired of a comfortableness portion that reggaetón was becoming. “I didn’t cognize overmuch astir the rhythm, but I was funny successful learning, I was into reggaetón, and this bushed opened doors for me.”

He added that the cardinal to proceed increasing the question is unity and collaboration. “We did it with reggaetón and it worked for us. Afrobeats is simply a question that needs unity. It needs artists similar maine to collaborate with caller artists. I was fixed that accidental erstwhile I began my career, and present it’s our crook to bash it with the caller artists, and with the newest artists. This is simply a chain; we’re each connected the aforesaid boat.”

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Both Colombian artists Kapo and Venesti besides dabbled successful Afrobeats aboriginal connected successful their careers. After signaling successful different styles, it was Afrobeats that gave some these rising artists their biggest hits, including Kapo’s “Ohnana” and Venesti’s “Umaye.”

“This opus marked a turning point,” Venesti explained. “I was going done a infinitesimal successful the originative process wherever others would archer me, ‘This is what you person to do.’ But erstwhile I signed with AP Global, my label, they told me, ‘Be yourself.’ I recorded ‘Umaye’ with a $50 microphone. It was my archetypal fig 1 deed connected Billboard. ‘Umaye’ is simply a poem turned into a song.”

“We are calved with that feeling; it’s thing I can’t explain,” Kapo added. “We created ‘Ohnana,’ and it connected with galore people. It wasn’t my beginning, but it has contributed a lot. We person relation models successful the satellite who bash it truthful well.”

Spanning much than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the largest gathering of Latin artists and manufacture executives successful the world. This year’s lawsuit erstwhile again hosts panels, marquee conversations, roundtables, networking and activations, successful summation to i...