The Algorithm and the Anthem: How TikTok Rewired the Afrobeats Hits

Way back, music was a slow burn.

Songs grew like Lagos “go-slow”; inching toward attention with patience and persistence.

But then came TikTok, the great equalizer and disruptor.

Shrinking the lifespan of a hook to fifteen seconds, turning rhythm into reels and melody into memes.

In this new order, virality is the new vinyl, and the dance floor has moved to the screen.

There was a time when DJs and radio hosts were the priests of pop culture.

Baptizing new Afrobeats hits through repetition and ritual.

But now, a teenager in Ibadan can launch a dance trend that propels an unknown artist into global stardom before the ink dries on their first record deal.

Songs like Kunmie’s “Arike,” Chella’s “My Darling,” and Ckay’s “Love Nwatiti” didn’t climb — they exploded!

Algorithm-first, attention-fast.

TikTok didn’t just market these songs; it mutated them.

Choruses got shorter. Hooks were crafted not for radio rotation but for visual loops.