Brazilian singer Tânia Silva shattered genre boundaries with Afrofuturist Dreams, an album fusing samba rhythms with experimental R&B and Yoruba chants. The record’s experimental edge earned comparisons to Fela Kuti, though Silva’s focus on Afro-Brazilian identity sparked renewed conversations about cultural appropriation in global music.

The music video for Orixás in Neon—featuring capoeira dancers against holographic rainforest backdrops—went viral, sparking debates about cultural representation. Silva’s decision to release the album via a cooperative streaming platform, which redistributes profits to Afro-Brazilian artists, challenged corporate streaming models. “This isn’t just music,” wrote one critic. “It’s a manifesto.” The project catalyzed a wave of genre-blurring releases across Latin America.