Joshua Baraka on East Africa's Takeover, Afrobeats' Decline & AI in Music | Afrobeats Intelligence

Uganda has always had the culture. Now it has the moment. Joshua Baraka is the Kampala-bred artist making a case for East Africa's place at the center of the global music conversation — not as a footnote to Afrobeats, but as a creative force with its own sonic identity, emotional depth, and artistic integrity. His breakout hit "Nana" didn't just chart — it made a statement about what East African music can mean on a world stage. In this conversation with Joey Akan, Baraka goes beyond the geography debate. He breaks down the philosophical divide between East and West African music cultures, why he believes Afrobeats is showing signs of decline, and what it means to make art in an era when AI can replicate the sound but not the soul. He also speaks candidly about the industry's obsession with numbers over artistry, navigating social media scrutiny, and why this moment in African music history demands more from its creators. That live-first culture shapes his skepticism of AI's ceiling in music too. You can generate a track. You can't accumulate the human experience that makes a performance land. This is a conversation about where African music is going — and who gets to decide. This episode of Afrobeats Intelligence is powered by OkayAfrica, the pulse of African culture, and sponsored by Martell. 0:00 - Intro 2:48 - Welcome, Joshua Baraka 5:26 - Partying 9:11 - East Africa as a bloc 13:07 - “Nana” 18:23 - Adapting to change 21:16 - Trolls 28:03 - Streaming numbers vs. the art 38:45 - Afrobeats on a decline 46:18 - Why East African music is rising in popularity 50:36 - AI + Music 1:03:28 - Outro Discover more about Martell’s journey with Afrobeats: https://www.martell.com/en/martell-af... Follow Joey Akan for the latest coverage on African music culture and news. Substack: https://afrobeatsintelligence.substac...   / joeyakan     / afrobeatsintel   Follow Joshua Baraka:   / itsjoshuabaraka   🌍 For more music, news, and culture from the continent, check out OkayAfrica here: https://www.okayafrica.com/ Follow us on socials: Instagram:   / okayafrica   Facebook:   / okayafrica   X:   / okayafrica   TikTok:   / okayafrica   Join the OkayAfrica Whatsapp channel! : https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029... Shop OkayAfrica merch here: https://shop.okayplayer.com/collectio...