Afro is a genre of Cuban popular music with African themes which gained prominence during the afrocubanismo movement in the early 20th century.
[1][2] It originated in the late 19th century Cuban blackface theatre, where some elements from Afro-Cuban music traditions such as Santería and Palo were incorporated into a secular context.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the genre reached its peak of popularity often mixing with son cubano giving rise to the hybrid style known as afro-son (or son-afro).
[5][6] According to George Torres, "the infectious rhythm of the Afro was used by American artists" such as Duke Ellington and Chuck Berry (in his song "Havana Moon").
[2] According to Ned Sublette, the genre was particularly innovative, asserting that "Babalú" was a forerunner of the kind of record Elvis Presley would make fifteen years later".