Harrison Shimazu

…Or not-the-best time, if you’re someone who gets overwhelmed by the countless social media posts, notifications, and emails with all-caps subject lines. This year, we decided we wanted to put together a tight and curated list once again for those who want to block out the noise and know about the deals that are among the best of the best.

Illustration: Jordan Moss Have you ever wanted to learn how to make beats? If so, there’s no better time to get started than now. The recent proliferation of free and low-cost DAWs, sounds, and educational resources has drastically lowered the barriers to entry for music production, making creating original and high-quality beats both more affordable and approachable than ever before.

“Afrobeats can’t compete with any other type of music in the world,” Spinall tells us. “Our sound is very unique. We love to groove in Nigeria, in Africa—I don’t know any Black man in the world, actually, who doesn’t love to dance. Afrobeats is not a particular type of sound that starts here and ends there—no, that’s not what Afrobeats is.