Afrobeats hype performers build crowds with high-energy vocals
An energetic, improvised style of emceeing is gaining ground in Afrobeats, with Toby Shang among those promoting Afrohype, also known as lamba.
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A style of emceeing built around energetic, improvised vocals and audience engagement is flourishing within Afrobeats. Some now call the subgenre Afrohype or lamba.
Among its advocates is Toby Shang, whose stage name emerged during his first semester studying history at the University of Lagos in 2015. Classmates gave him the nickname after a presentation about the Shang dynasty captivated them.
His experience engaging audiences began before university, through his role as an energiser in a three-member high school band and his work as a private tutor. By his final university year, his widely shared catchphrases and lively delivery had helped produce the hit song Shedibalabala.
Shang now describes himself as one of the subgenre’s pioneers and promoters, reflecting the growing profile of hype performers in Afrobeats.
Originally reported by The Guardian. Read the full story at The Guardian
