Suno Afrobeat Prompt: Style and Exclude Lines

Afrobeat example: a gleaming horn section of saxophones on a hot crowded club stage in Lagos, sweat-hazy coloured lights — Mood still for this style, made with the Lookbook's image prompts. The page has no audio. Scene: a gleaming horn section of saxophones on a hot crowded club stage in Lagos, sweat-hazy coloured lights.

What it is

1970s West African fusion of highlife, funk and jazz: long hypnotic grooves of interlocking guitars, a unison horn section, busy drums and shekere.

Suno prompt

Two boxes, ready to paste. The Style line goes in Suno's Styles field, the Exclude line in Exclude styles.

Style

1970s Nigerian Afrobeat instrumental, interlocking choppy funk guitars, punchy horn section in unison, busy syncopated drums with shekere and congas, rolling bass ostinato, electric organ, hypnotic and defiant, 112 bpm

Exclude

vocals, singing, rap, Afrobeats pop, dancehall, reggaeton, EDM, trap hi-hats, autotune, lo-fi, orchestral, synth pad

The parts

The lead is the one instrument that carries the tune. Colour instruments add texture and never take the melody. The bed is the rhythm section underneath.

Tempo: 112 bpm
Meter: 4/4
Swing: 8% on the off-16ths
Key: D dorian
Lead (carries the tune): unison horn section
Colour (never the melody): electric organ stabs, shekere
Bed: interlocking guitars, bass ostinato, drums and congas

Not this

Not Afrobeats: that 2010s pop style has sung hooks and a lighter bounce. This is long, live and horn-driven.

Other names

Afro-funk, 1970s Lagos funk

Pairs with

handheld street-level tracking shot
warm saturated 1970s print
a bold blocky poster title

Build a full look around it

The Lookbook deals the camera, light, film look, palette and music that go with this card, and writes one prompt for the whole set.

Open Afrobeat in the Lookbook