The new season of Afrobeats Intelligence, hosted by leading voice in African music.
Joey Akan, will feature new interviews with Shallipopi, Wale, Sarz, Ladipoe, Kcee, Joshua Baraka, BOJ, Aniko and many more.
Afrobeats Intelligence Season 5 is presented by OkayAfrica and sponsored by Martell.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – (February 13th, 2026) OkayAfrica, the most trusted home for African music culture and discovery, is excited to announce the new season of Afrobeats Intelligence, created and hosted by award-winning Nigerian journalist and music critic Joey Akan, with the first episode premiering on February 27, 2026.
The fifth season of Afrobeats Intelligence is presented by OkayAfrica in partnership with Martell, building on the House’s broader cultural initiatives designed to champion the voices and stories shaping Afrobeats’ global influence. Afrobeats Intelligence Season 5 will feature new interviews and guest appearances from the biggest names in Afrobeats featuring episodes with Shallipopi, Wale, Sarz, Ladipoe, Kcee, Joshua Baraka, BOJ, Aniko, Dr. Sid, Jyde Ajala, Tec (of Show Dem Camp), Winny, Magixx, Tobi Mohammed aka Alhaji Popping, and many more.
“In the last season of Afrobeats Intelligence, we sat with some of Africa’s most important voices—artists, culture builders, and executives—breaking down how Afrobeats really works,” says Afrobeats Intelligence host Joey Akan. “This new season goes deeper. Bigger conversations, sharper stories, and more access to the people who are building the future and sound of African music on a global scale.”
Afrobeats Intelligence is Africa’s top rated music podcast with over a million downloads. Previous guests have included Bella Shmurda, Tiwa Savage, Timaya, Ayra Starr, Mr Eazi, Don Jazzy and many more. OkayAfrica presented the last season of Afrobeats Intelligence to huge success, reaching millions of listeners and viewers across all platforms and will be presenting the show’s upcoming season.
ABOUT OKAYAFRICA
OkayAfrica is the premier destination for African music, culture, and discovery covering a wide range of African artists and sounds—from the biggest stars to the underground scenes and everything in between.The online platform explores the diverse expressions of African pop culture, its global influences and dynamic engagement with the rest of the world through thought-provoking, piercing commentary on the latest talking points around African culture.
About Maison Martell
The oldest of the great cognac houses, founded by Jean Martell in 1715, Maison Martell is renowned throughout the world for the finesse and elegance of its cognacs, the result of a legacy of savoir-faire handed down through nine generations. Together with a passion for its craft and a profound attachment to the terroir, Maison Martell is defined by the audacity with which it has challenged convention to create new expressions of cognac, including the icon Martell Cordon Bleu in 1912. The free spirit of the House is symbolised by its historic emblem: the swift.
ABOUT AFROBEATS INTELLIGENCE
Created and hosted by award-winning Nigerian journalist and music critic, Joey Akan, Afrobeats Intelligence is Africa’s top rated music podcast. The show, currently in its fifth season, has hosted illuminating conversations with the likes of Mr Eazi, Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Don Jazzy and many more African music stars, artists and insiders.
