Seun Kuti, the Grammy-nominated Afrobeat musician, has weighed in on the conversation around Afrobeats.
He described Afrobeats as more of a “title” than an actual music genre.
In an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM Lagos, the father of two explained that both artists and industry executives don’t approach Afrobeats as a genre. He said it serves more as a label for music originating from Africa.
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“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 added that the so-called gatekeepers of Afrobeats don’t treat it like a genre either.
“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 concluded.