Lil Wayne joins Asake and Rema as headliners at Afro Nation Detroit 2024

Lil Wayne and Jamaican dancehall artist Shenseea were recently added to the festival’s roster, which already includes African stars like Kizz Daniel, Ayra Starr, King Promise, Uncle Waffles and Musa Keys, among others.

This is the second time the festival, founded in 2019 and billed as the world’s biggest Afrobeats event welcoming more than 40 000 patrons from more than 130 countries, is being held in the city following its maiden edition in August 2023 headlined by Davido and Burna Boy. Prior to that, the festival had its inaugural US event at the 40 000-capacity LoanDepot Park stadium Miami in May 2023.

“Bringing Afro Nation back to Detroit, the home of Motown and Techno music was an easy decision,” co-founder Smade said. “Detroit embodies culture, creativity, and pride. The energy here is electric, echoing the heartbeat of Afro Nation’s spirit. In Detroit, we found a community that welcomed us with open arms, sharing our passion for unity and celebration, giving us a home away from home. Afro Nation Detroit 2024 will be even bigger than last year, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you.”

Before Detroit, Afro Nation will head to Portugal this June, with Tyla, Omah Lay and Nicki Minaj among the programmed acts.

The festival, which has previously been held in Portugal, Puerto Rico and Mexico, regularly features prominent African stars, as well as US urban icons. Ghana is the only African country where Afro Nation has been held, in 2020 and 2022. In October last year, organisers pulled the plug on the festival’s Lagos debut, citing quality concerns.

In March, organisers of Afro Nation released a mini documentary highlighting Afrobeats and amapiano genres.