Nigerian music star Yemi Alade is firing back at fellow artists who downplay the Afrobeats genre. In a social media post,Alade argued that while artists are free to define their own sound, dismissing Afrobeats entirely is disingenuous.
“There’s nothing wrong with letting fans know your genre,” Alade stated on her X platform. “But downplaying Afrobeats’ influence on all our development? That’s hypocrisy.”
This comes after comments from prominent Nigerian musicians like Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy distancing themselves from the Afrobeats label. They argue that the term restricts the vast and diverse sounds emerging from Africa.
Alade, however, believes Afrobeats has been a springboard for many Nigerian artists, including herself. She suggests that those looking to move beyond the genre can simply “Announce your Genre in peace” rather than diminishing Afrobeats’ significance.