Here’s How Tuma Basa Is Bridging African Music With The World

Since Tuma Basa broke into the music industry in the late ‘90s, he’s seen first-hand the complete transformation of the business. But amid the changes, Tuma has been a consistent force in curating hip-hop music and connecting it with brand-new audiences far and wide. That’s on full display in his current role as the Director of Black Music & Culture at YouTube.

It’s a unique title for an even more unique individual. Tuma cut his teeth in music on the programming side, working for BET and MTV for over 10 years. Next, he was a guiding force in the launch of P Diddy’s REVOLT TV. But once the industry embraced streaming, Tuma left traditional TV and joined the new frontier with Spotify. There, he was the curator behind the
RapCaviar playlist — which amassed over nine million followers at the time, making it a top-5 Spotify playlist globally.

Tuma joined YouTube in 2018. The platform may not get the credit that streaming services like Spotify does, but it’s just as influential in bridging artists directly with listeners. True to form, Tuma is leveraging YouTube’s worldwide reach and connecting it with not only emerging artists (think NBA YoungBoy), but on-the-rise genres too (AfroBeats, Dancehall).

I really enjoyed this interview with Tuma, who is on the frontlines of the streaming era. Here’s all the topics we covered on the show:

0:00 Introduction To Tuma Basa Interview
0:53 How Has YouTube Evolved Alongside Streaming Industry
1:36 Jamaica’s Underrated Influence On Music Industry
6:26 Tuma’s Surprise At The Rise Of African Music
8:36 How YouTube Has Factored In Rising Popularity Of African Music
12:29 How Does Tuma Measure Success In His Current Role?
15:08 Tuma’s Pitch To Artists For Using YouTube
19:15 What’s Behind NBA YoungBoy’s Second-To-None Success On YouTube?
23:05 Is YoungBoy A YouTuber Or Artist First
27:34 Adapting Albums Post-Release In The Streaming Era
32:46 Has Streaming Era Killed “Classic” Albums?
36:37 The Trap Of Chasing “Numbers”
41:26 What About The Future Of Music Excites Tuma The Most?
44:46 Tuma Gives His Shoutouts

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