The Igbo, one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria and West Africa possesses one of the richest cultures in the region. Their ethnic name is derived from their language which is part of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger–Congo language family. Their musical heritage is also one of the most sophisticated by means of which their ways of being in the world—their social life, spirituality, political organization, subsistence living, and aesthetic ideals are articulated and may be deduced.

The Igbo are known to practice a republican form of socio-political system in a loose-confederacy long before the colonial project brought them into the Nigerian state of the early 21st century. They are also among the most mobile groups on the continent, having established huge trade routes before the arrival of European traders and colonialists. Their social structure, subsistent agrarian culture, and mobility due to trade have implications on the nature of their musical culture. For example, musical activity among them is voluntary and not structured around or imposed on persons by virtue of belonging to any given socioeconomic class or religious caste system. The further implication is that their music is characterized by constant innovation, drawing influences from their immediate neighbors, and even sharing musical traits with other ethnic groups of West and Central Africa. This is evident in their collection of musical instruments and the types of ritual music in their culture. Further evidence of this is also seen in the ways in which they have developed their contemporary music in the areas of popular music, Christian music, and art music.