The Sound Session at the African Creators Summit offered one of the most grounded and inspiring conversations of the event, bringing together music executive Bankulli and Afrobeats artist Skales for a deep dive into sound, identity, and the long game of creativity.
Bankulli opened the conversation by pointing to something many fans instinctively understand but few creators intentionally develop: sound identity. That instant recognition when a voice, delivery, or energy hits your ears and you already know who it is. Using examples from music and content culture, he emphasized that identity is not accidental. It is built over time, through consistency and intention, and it goes beyond just how an artist sounds. For today’s creators, identity also lives in how you look, how you present yourself, and how people experience you across platforms.
Skales shared that his own sound was not something he engineered by copying others, but something he discovered by constantly working on his craft. Writing, recording, performing, and repeating the process helped him sharpen his skills until his voice naturally stood out. Practice, he explained, was the real teacher. The more he did the work, the clearer his sound became.
As the session unfolded, the conversation shifted from music to life experience. Skales traced his journey from being born and raised in Kaduna, with roots in Edo State, to arriving in Lagos as a teenager with little more than belief and ambition. That decision, he admitted, wasn’t carefully planned. It was driven by hunger and faith. Couch-surfing, burning demo CDs, attending shows, and performing anywhere he could get a microphone became part of his early reality. Those moments, as chaotic as they were, shaped his confidence and resilience.
A major turning point came through community and mentorship. Skales highlighted the importance of having people who believed in him when there was little proof of success, as well as learning by watching those ahead of him navigate the industry. Observing mentors like Banky W and drawing inspiration from the longevity of figures like Don Jazzy helped him understand not just music, but the business and discipline behind it.
The session took a powerful turn when the conversation landed on “Shake Body,” a song that has outlived trends and eras. What made it endure wasn’t strategy or hype, but honesty. Skales described the record as a reflection of his story at the time, a form of manifestation before the success arrived. Years after its release, the song found new life when it resurfaced globally through social media, introducing it to an entirely new generation and reopening doors he didn’t even know were still there.
That moment became a central lesson for creators in the room. Creating from your own story gives your work a life beyond its release window. Trends may give you attention, but authenticity gives you longevity. When the time is right, the same story can become everyone’s story.
Bankulli expanded this idea beyond music, reminding creators that in today’s ecosystem, platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook all function as content spaces. A song isn’t just a song anymore; it’s fuel for visuals, fashion, storytelling, branding, and community. The ripple effect of one authentic idea can reshape an entire creative career, far beyond streaming numbers.
The discussion also touched on the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge can be learned from books, courses, and observation, but wisdom is formed through lived experience, reflection, and time. For African creators navigating global attention, wisdom is what helps turn exposure into sustainability.
As Afrobeats continues to dominate global spaces, the session closed with a question many creators are asking: how do you go global without losing cultural authenticity? The answer was simple and deeply rooted. Culture is not just tradition or costume; it is how you speak, how you dress, where you come from, and how you see the world. Those elements, when embraced rather than diluted, become creative advantages.
The Sound Session at African Creators Summit ultimately served as a reminder that African creativity does not need to be reshaped to travel. When creators stay true to their stories, their sound, and their cultural roots, the world doesn’t just listen, it connects.
