Grammy-nominated Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, has sparked debate with his latest remarks about the Afrobeats movement and some of its biggest stars.
Speaking during an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos, Kuti argued that Afrobeats should not be classified as a genre of music, but rather as a “title” used to generalize sounds coming out of Africa.
“I think Afrobeats is more of a title than a genre. You can see Amapiano is the new Afrobeats. It’s the new title, it’s the new thing in Afrobeats. So, Afrobeats is just a generalisation; it’s just a title to identify something from a particular place [Africa],” he said.
Kuti went further to suggest that even the so-called big names in the industry do not approach Afrobeats as if it were a genre.
“I don’t think it’s a genre. Even the gatekeepers, the big names don’t deal with it like a genre, they don’t work it like a genre. They are [Afrobeats] artists that are eclectic in a way that they could do a dancehall track today, do a blue track tomorrow, do a Nigerian pop sound, jump on Amapiano, and whatever that is trending. So, I think it’s actually a title,” he explained.
His comments have triggered conversations online, with some fans agreeing that Afrobeats has become a broad label for diverse African sounds, while others insist it deserves recognition as a genre in its own right.
