The Yoruba culture and language transcends the South-West border of Nigeria.
Black Brazilians who are descendants of slaves from the South-West region in Nigeria still speak Yoruba till today. In Cuba and other Caribbean island nations, Sango and other Yoruba traditional gods are worshipped.
In Atlanta in the United States of America, a lot of black Americans are Ifa worshippers and that includes the newest and hottest rapper on the block 21 Savage.
Born Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, the 24-year-old trapper is an Ifa worshipper. "I always said that (I’m here for a reason), even when I was in the hospital, I used to say that… I’m spiritual, I’m Ifá, my religion is Ifá… It’s a Nigerian religion" he told the crew of The Breakfast Club in August as he spoke about being shot six times in 2013.
In November 2016, 21 Savage featured on the cover of The Fader Magazine and he further spoke about the Ifa religion which his mother also practices.
"I’m African-American. I’d rather follow an African religion. That’s my heritage" he told The Fader. 21 Savage also said that everyone around him when he was growing up in Atlanta practised the religion.
As 21 Savage navigates between the violent streets and the glittering avenue of fame, he consults his Ifa chief regularly in order to stay away from trouble and people trying to gun him down.
The rapper also wears Ifa beads for protection. "[They] protect me from negativity, harm, anything that’s gonna disrupt anything that I got going on."
Another rapper who is an Ifa worshipper is Triple MG act Gunplay. On numerous occasions, he has mentioned that he worships the Yoruba deity.
French twins Ibeyi who rocked the world in 2015 with their unique blend of soul and spiritualism are Oya worshippers. Their music is laced with a lot of Oya references which they learnt when they went to Cuba with their late father.