At the recent BridgeAfrica event, industry leaders gathered to discuss the future of African music, but one voice stood out—Abuchi. As the CEO of Chocolate City and the visionary behind Bean Creative, he brought a perspective shaped by years of experience, evolution, and reinvention. His insights into the industry’s transformation—from the CD era to today’s digital landscape—offered a compelling blueprint for where African music is headed.
Abuchi’s journey in the industry spans over 15 years, beginning as a sound engineer behind some of the continent’s biggest tracks, including Dami Duro. His deep understanding of music’s creative process led him to work closely with industry heavyweights like MI and Ice Prince, managing their careers and helping to shape the modern African sound. But beyond engineering and artist management, he saw a gap—a disconnect between music’s artistic soul and its commercial potential.
This realization led to the birth of Bean Creative, a dynamic agency that now orchestrates nearly 400 events and activations annually. Bean Creative is not just a company; it’s a movement that bridges creativity and business, ensuring artists, brands, and audiences find common ground.
As the head of Chocolate City, one of Africa’s leading entertainment brands, Abuchi continues to push boundaries. He acknowledges how the industry has shifted—moving from the physical distribution of CDs to the flash drive era, and now into the streaming age, where platforms like Spotify and Apple Music prioritize engagement over direct music sales. In this new digital-first world, the business of music is no longer about one-time transactions but about selling experiences and staying “top of mind.”
At the heart of Abuchi’s philosophy is a simple but powerful idea: Music is the language that unites Africa. Despite the continent’s vast cultural and linguistic differences, music provides common ground, fostering dialogue and collaboration. Through Bean Creative and Chocolate City, he is working to shape an ecosystem where every stakeholder wins, balancing data-driven insights with raw creativity to propel African music into a new era of global recognition.
