There’s a misunderstanding, or perhaps a misconception, about who an “Afrobeat artist” really is. Many people categorize all music made by Nigerian or African artists as “afrobeat” without a proper orientation about what the genre truly connotes.
Wizkid sparked controversy when he denied being an Afrobeat artist. He said the notion people have about Afrobeat makes them put all the music the Nigerian artists do into one box (Afrobeat).
Part of his speech read, “Listen, am I African? Yes! But I do make all sorts of music. Fine music! But I don’t want these labeled just Afrobeats. That’s like saying every American artist makes rap. That’s stupid. This is why no matter how good or amazing the music we make be it RnB or whatever other genre we all get nominated in one Africa category or the other. I’ve made songs from different genres of music. Made in Lagos is not an “Afrobeats” album. That’s a fusion of different sounds. Real music! The word Afrobeats was made up by y’all to put all we make into one box. Fela created Afrobeat!! I make All sorts of music. Fusion of sounds! “I’m an artiste” before anything else.”.
Burna Boy, in one of his interviews with Apple Music, also ignited a flame of mixed reactions when he said 90 percent of Afrobeat artists lack real-life experience and talk about absolutely nothing in their music.
“Not even experience, because half of them, like 90% of them, have no real-life experience that they can understand.
“That’s why you hear most Nigerian music, African music, or Afrobeats, as you people call it, is mostly about nothing, absolutely nothing. There is no substance to it, like nobody is talking about anything; it’s just a great time. But at the end of the day, life isn’t an amazing time.”
If Nigerian music giants like Wizkid and Burna Boy are disassociating themselves from “Afrobeat,” which is the most renowned and outstanding genre in African music, it is therefore pertinent to know what Afrobeat as a genre represents and who should be tagged as an Afrobeat artist.
What is Afrobeat?
Afrobeat is a fusion of traditional West African rhythms and contemporary sounds with a strong political and social message. It is often described as a cross between funk, jazz, and highlife. It is a song that typically features a heavy bassline, complex percussion, and call-and-response vocals. One distinct characteristic of Afrobeat is that the lyrics often deal with social issues like poverty, corruption, and government oppression.
Origin of the Afrobeat
The musical genre Afrobeat originated in the 1960s and 1970s as a blend of traditional Yoruba music with jazz, West African music (Highlife, Fuji), and funk. Afrobeat was created by the Nigerian legend Fela Kuti, who achieved acclaim for his musical talent and involvement in post-colonial African politics. Fela’s recordings from the 1970s made a significant impact on the Nigerian music scene and rapidly gained popularity around the globe.
Afrobeat precursors began in Ghana in the early 1920s. During that time, Ghanaian musicians incorporated foreign influences like the foxtrot and calypso with Ghanaian rhythms like highlife. Highlife was associated with African aristocracy and was played by numerous bands, including the Jazz Kings, Cape Coast Sugar Babies, and Accra Orchestra.
But it was the electrifying music of Fela in the 1970s that catapulted Afrobeat across Africa. Fela was inspired by the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party. His lyrics were infused with social commentary, political critique, and Nigerian proverbs. He criticized the military dictatorship in Nigeria. He supported the newly gained independence from colonial rule across Africa. Fela encouraged self-reliance and self-pride through the instrumentality of his songs and that’s what Afrobeat represents.
Artists such as Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Tiwa Savage, as well as several African artists, could be referred to as “Afrobeat artists” if only they incorporated the features of Afrobeat into their music.
