Miami —
African music is dominating the global soundscape, with Afrobeats and other genres reshaping mainstream music worldwide. But Rick Ross, the stage name of William Leonard Roberts II, says this moment was inevitable — and believes Africa’s global influence should have arrived much sooner.
“I love it,” Ross said of Afrobeats’ global takeover. “For the ones that really understand live and real music, you understand. It’s been well overdue for a long time.”
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Lamide Akintobi in Miami, the American rapper and founder of the Maybach Music Group traced today’s Afrobeats explosion back decades to the pioneers who laid the foundation.
“When you think about Afrobeats now, that’s Fela Kuti,” he said. “That funk vibe been going on for years and years and years to me.”
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Drawing a parallel familiar to hip-hop fans, Ross compared pioneering Nigerian musician Kuti’s effect on African music to James Brown’s influence on early hip hop, noting, “So much hip hop was inspired by James Brown and his samples; to me that’s what Fela was.”
“It was always genius,” he added. “Now, I sit back and enjoy it. And I really feel it’s only the beginning.”
Early African collaborations — before it was mainstream
Long before cross-continental collaborations became commonplace, Ross was already building musical bridges. He recalled how his appearance on the 2012 remix of “Beautiful Onyinye” with Nigerian duo P-Square came together organically.
Ross described the music he released between 2009 and 2014 — what he calls his “Maybach Music era” — as an opportunity to explore a broader sound, weaving jazz and funk elements into hip-hop. “I love those records,” he said.
Ross said discussions with Senegalese American star Akon about African music drew him deeper into the sound. During one of those meetings, he connected with P-Square, which led to the remix of “Beautiful Onyinye.”
“They were young, but they were dope. I saw the vision. I saw the talent, and this was before this was popular… and it was just organic,” said Ross.
Years later, collaborations with artists such as Nigeria’s Yemi Alade continued that momentum.
“For one, she is on fire. She is just dope. Her style, her energy,” Ross said. “It’s organic, it’s real… and to me it’s something that, man, it ain’t no cap to it. There ain’t no limit on how big this sh*t just gonna continue to grow.”