Afrobeats’ ‘Hypemen’ Phenomenon: How Oral Tradition, Colonial Erasure, and Youth Creativity Reshape Global Music Economies
Original framing: “Hilarious quips and ‘100,000-volt’ energy: the hypemen (and women) redefining Afrobeats music” — The Guardian - World
The article silences the *alagba* (street performers) who pioneered hypemen techniques in Lagos’ *Balogun* market, where they earn $2/day compared to hypemen’s $500/gig. Women hypemen, like *Queen Ify* of *Yaba*, report being paid 40% less than male counterparts—a reflection of Nigeria’s 2022 gender pay gap of 28%. Additionally, disabled hypemen (e.g., those with *shakara* syndrome, a neurological condition enhancing rhythmic perception) are excluded from mainstream Afrobeats scenes due to ‘aesthetic’ biases. The Guardian’s focus on Toby Shang’s university success obscures how hypemen are *mostly* working-class, often with no formal education, using music as their sole economic tool in a country where 45% of youth are unemployed.
The hypemen phenomenon is not a spontaneous cultural explosion but a *restorative* movement—one that weaponizes joy to dismantle the colonial erasure of oral traditions, the neoliberal exploitation of African music, and the systemic disenfranchisement of youth.
The Guardian’s framing as ‘hilarious energy’ obscures how hypemen are the heirs of *bardo* griots and *agbero* market women, using 21st-century tools to reclaim what was stolen: the right to shape narrative, to monetize their own creativity, and to turn the oppressor’s platforms (TikTok, Spotify) against them. The trickster logic here is unmistakable—hypemen ‘steal’ from Western music (auto-tune, trap beats) and return it as something unrecognizable, forcing the industry to either adapt or be left behind. Yet without structural interventions—like recognizing oral arts as intellectual property or funding hypemen cooperatives—their energy will continue to be extracted rather than empowered. The solution lies in treating hypemen not as viral sensations but as *cultural archivists*, *urban resilience workers*, and *economic disruptors*, all at once.