HENNESSY DROPS BEAT WITH A FIRST-EVER GLOBAL CYPHER – BLENDING  AMAPIANO, AFROBEATS, HIP-HOP

Hennessy Cypher 2025 spotlights pan-African and global artists in a powerful new expression of sound, style and storytelling.

Hennessy, the world’s leading cognac brand and a longstanding champion of music, has just dropped the much-anticipated Hennessy Cypher 2025. This launch affirms Hennessy’s role at the forefront of global sound: one that successfully blends Hip-Hop, Amapiano and Afrobeats for the first time ever.

Featuring a powerful mix of artists from South Africa,

Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and the UK, this year’s Cypher is a pan-African and diaspora collaboration that places Hennessy once more at the forefront of cultural innovation and sound evolution.

The Hennessy Cypher 2025 represents a unique blend of feats: it’s a genre-fusing, gender-inclusive and boundary-breaking musical experience designed to showcase Africa’s global influence and celebrate the diversity of expression. It also echoes the brand’s ‘Made for More’ philosophy, a belief that when creativity meets culture, the result is always greater than the sum of its parts.

For the first time, the Cypher features female artists while merging Amapiano, Afrobeats and Hip-Hop into a single track. This bold move reflects both the richness of Africa’s evolving soundscape and Hennessy’s commitment to elevating underrepresented voices and redefining the concept of what a Cypher can be. Six artists widely known for their unique sound and style take centre stage: Kabza De Small, Femi One, Ms Banks, Blaqbonez, Jaivah and Joey B.

“At its core, the Hennessy Cypher is about creativity and passion for music,” says Vincent Montalescot,

Hennessy’s global Chief Marketing Officer. “It is a true collective play, uniting artists who are disrupting genres and shaping culture, across Africa and beyond. As a master blender of talent and vision, Hennessy continues its long-standing relationship with Africa and reaffirms its commitment to championing African creativity on a global stage”

The music video for Cypher 2025 unfolds inside the Hennessy House, a metaphorical mansion where each room represents a different genre, rhythm and cultural movement. This symbolic creative concept brings to life the idea of co-existence over competition, where HipHop, Amapiano and Afrobeats live side by side in a single visual and musical space.

Directed and produced in Cape Town, South Africa, the Hennessy House becomes a canvas for multicultural sound and continental fashion, transitioning from room to room in a sleek journey through a diverse musical landscape.

For over 50 years, Hennessy has been woven into the DNA of Hip-Hop. From Tupac to Snoop, Nas to Drake, the brand has been name-checked in over 4,000 songs, making Hennessy the most mentioned spirit brand in music history.

Experience the 2025 Hennessy Cypher here:

https://bfan.link/hennessy-cypher

HENNESSY CYPHER 2025

From South Africa, Kabza De Small is globally recognised as the King of Amapiano. A pioneer of the genre, he was South Africa’s moststreamed artist on Spotify in 2020 and 2024 and recently produced for international artists like Drake and 21 Savage for their It’s a Blur tour. In the Cypher, he brings the authentic pulse of township sound, grounding the genre in local roots while elevating it to global prestige.

Representing Kenya, Femi One is a trailblazing rapper known for her Swahili bars and fearless commentary. She won Best Female Rapper at the AFRIMA 2022 Awards and rose to fame with the viral hit Utawezana. In the Cypher, she brings sharp lyricism and cultural authority, making history as one of the two first female artists and the first East African woman, to take the Cypher stage.

Born in the UK to Nigerian and Ugandan parents, Ms Banks represents the fusion of diaspora identity and UK rap. She has collaborated with artists like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B and performed at Glastonbury, building a reputation as a fierce lyrical force and style icon. In the Cypher, she brings bold bars and international energy, becoming one of the two female artist and the first UKbased talent, to feature in the series.

From Nigeria, Blaqbonez is known for his genre-fluid sound blending hip-hop, Afrobeats and pop. His critically acclaimed album Emeka Must Shine included collaborations with Ludacris and he’s earned a spot on Rolling Stone’s Top Albums list, featured in its list of 50 HipHop innovators shaping the genre. In the Cypher, he delivers sharp wit and boundary-breaking lyricism, representing a bold new voice in African rap.

Jaivah is a rising star from Tanzania known for fusing Amapiano, Bongo Flava and Afrobeats. His 2023 breakout hit Soup became a regional anthem and his latest single Kautaka is gaining traction across Africa, including Nigeria. In the Cypher, he brings experimental energy and East African flavour, expanding the sonic map of the performance.

Hailing from Ghana, Joey B is a rapper and singer celebrated for his effortless fusion of Hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeat. He’s won multiple awards at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and has collaborated with heavyweights like Sarkodie, King Promise and Mr Eazi. In the Cypher, he brings his signature cool and cultural fluency, bridging underground edge with mainstream appeal.

CREDITS: Cypher music video directed and produced by Human Studio in Cape Town; styled by Bee Diamondhead.

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ABOUT THE HENNESSY CYPHER

First launched in Nigeria in 2011, the Hennessy Cypher has evolved into a powerful platform for musical innovation and cultural storytelling across Africa and now the world. Known for spotlighting the continent’s most disruptive voices, the Cypher celebrates lyrical mastery, bold expression and the spirit of progress.

Each year, the Hennessy Cypher brings together a curated lineup of artists who are shaping the future of sound, offering them a space to express, collaborate and represent their unique identities on a global stage.

The Hennessy Cypher is a statement of Hennessy’s ongoing commitment to African excellence, cultural progression and the art of blending music, style and story telling.