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Wizkid declares that Afrobeats is not a genre of music.
In a recent post, Grammy award-winning singer and performer Wizkid declared that he views the concept of afrobeats as artificial, stating that it is not a distinct genre of music.
Wizkid had previously hinted at his reluctance to be labeled as an afrobeats artist in earlier social media posts. In his recent post shared on Saturday, March 16, 2024, he elaborated on his stance, explaining why he believes afrobeats is not a genre.
The singer expressed that throughout his extensive and successful career, he has explored various musical styles.
Therefore, classifying all his music under the umbrella of afrobeats does not accurately represent his artistic diversity. He adamantly stated his aversion to having his music solely categorized as afrobeats, dismissing it as an oversimplified classification.
He asserted that there is no such thing as afrobeats, describing it as a superficial attempt to compartmentalize the rich and diverse musical landscape created by African artists.
In essence, Wizkid’s statement suggests that the term “afrobeats” was coined by certain individuals to categorize the multifaceted musical output of African artists into a single, homogenized category.
His post on social media read, “U lost people always want someone to educate you. U got your phone Google research sh*t or take a flight and see the world don’t be ignorant and stupid all the time. 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. True to my art. Not scared to try shit. Now y’all drink some milk!”