Afrobeat is a music genre which involves the combination of elements of West African musical styles such as fuji music and highlife with American jazz and later soul and funk influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion. The term was coined in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who is responsible for pioneering and popularizing the style both within and outside Nigeria.
Distinct from Afrobeat is Afrobeats – a sound originating in West Africa in the 21st century, one which takes in diverse influences and is an eclectic combination of genres such as azonto, dancehall, highlife, British hip hop, hiplife, house, jùjú, Naija beats, ndombolo, palm-wine, R&B and soca. The two genres, though often conflated, are not the same.