Is Rotimi the first artist to bring Afrobeats to the United States?

While appearing on the 85 South Show Podcast, Rotimi spoke on his rise and how he contributed to the popularity of Afrobeats in the United States.

According to Rotimi, he was the first artist to popularize Afrobeats-styled music in the United States before the "Afrobeats to the World" movement started gaining momentum through international collaboration.

Rotimi who blends RnB elements with Afrobeats recalled bringing his single 'Love Riddim' to the radio stations in 2018 and it was not well received because of its Afrobeats influences.

"I remember bringing 'Love Riddim' to the radio stations in 2018 and the program director was like 'This is not good'. They didn't even understand it and this was before Wiz (Wizkid) got the record with Drake," Rotimi narrates. "I can comfortably say I brought Afrobeats to America," he added.

While Rotimi contributed to the popularity of Afrobeats in the US, especially in the early days of its exportation, many observers will disagree with his claims that he brought Afrobeats to America.

In 2015, Nigerian-American singer Ayo Jay scored a hit single with the Afrobeats record 'Your Number' which is the first Afrobeats song to appear on the Billboard R&B/Airplay chart without a collaboration. The single produced by Nigerian-British music producer Melvitto is also the first Afrobeats song to receive an RIAA gold certification.

Similarly, Drake's 'One Dance' on which he featured Wizkid was released in 2016 and predated Rotimi's 'Love Riddim'. The collaboration with Drake would become the most streamed song of 2016 on Spotify which was a streaming record at the time. Wizkid's appearance on 'One Dance' came after Drake freestyled on his smash hit 'Ojuelegba' in 2015 which brought Western attention to Afrobeats. 

Also, Wizkid's 'Come Closer' featuring Drake was released in 2017 two years before Rotimi released 'Love Riddim'.

Even Davido's 2017 hit singles 'If' and 'Fall' both enjoyed some success in the United States with the latter becoming one of the first Afrobeats songs to be certified RIAA gold and has since received a platinum certification.

The early Afrobeats superstars and pacesetters 2Baba, P-Square, and D'banj all featured American artists such as T-Pain, Rick Ross, T.I, Snoop Dogg. Following the success of his hit single 'Oliver Twist' in 2012, D'banj signed to Kanye West's Good Music which also contributed to the early exportation of Nigerian mainstream music to the United States.

Although the Afrobeats started gaining a foothold in the United States in the 2010s thanks to social media, music streaming, and strategic collaborations, it's the result of a collective effort. And while Rotimi's music played a part in the popularity of Afrobeats in the United States especially as he was an American Nigerian, he did not bring Afrobeats to the United States. 

You can watch Rotimi's full interview on the 85 South Show Podcast below.