Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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: martell.com/en/martell-afrobeats
Follow Joey Akan for the latest coverage on African music culture and news.
Substack: afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com
instagram.com/joeyakan
instagram.com/afrobeatsintel
Follow Joshua Baraka: instagram.com/itsjoshuabaraka
🌍 For more music, news, and culture from the continent, check out OkayAfrica here: okayafrica.com
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/okayafrica
Facebook: facebook.com/okayafrica/#
X: twitter.com/OkayAfrica
TikTok: tiktok.com/@okayafrica
Join the OkayAfrica Whatsapp channel! : whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEhs9oIN9isCqSED809
Shop OkayAfrica merch here: shop.okayplayer.com/collections/okayafrica-shop
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: martell.com/en/martell-afrobeats
Follow Joey Akan for the latest coverage on African music culture and news.
Substack: afrobeatsintelligence.substack.com
instagram.com/joeyakan
instagram.com/afrobeatsintel
Follow Joshua Baraka: instagram.com/itsjoshuabaraka
🌍 For more music, news, and culture from the continent, check out OkayAfrica here: okayafrica.com
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/okayafrica
Facebook: facebook.com/okayafrica/#
X: twitter.com/OkayAfrica
TikTok: tiktok.com/@okayafrica
Join the OkayAfrica Whatsapp channel! : whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEhs9oIN9isCqSED809
Shop OkayAfrica merch here: shop.okayplayer.com/collections/okayafrica-shop
