- Afrobeats is gaining worldwide popularity, with Nigerian stars achieving billions of streams, winning major awards, and teaming up with international artists.
- Recently, Jamaican dancehall star Spice shared her admiration for Afrobeats in an interview with Nigerian host Daddy Freeze, also stating that she is a fan of Grammy winner Burna Boy.
- Spice mentioned that in Afrobeats, there are artists such as 2Baba and Falz who create meaningful music.
Afrobeats is gaining worldwide popularity, with Nigerian stars achieving billions of streams, winning major awards, and teaming up with international artists.
Recently, Jamaican dancehall star Spice shared her admiration for Afrobeats in an interview with Nigerian host Daddy Freeze, also stating that she is a fan of Grammy winner Burna Boy.
“I don’t think Afrobeats is f**ckery. It’s kind of absurd to say that,” Spice said in responds to a recent criticism of Afrobeats by Jamaican artist Buju Banton. “I am a fan of Afrobeats and I love the genre. I don’t think it’s right to say they don’t make cultural music,” she adds.
Spice mentioned that in Afrobeats, there are artists such as 2Baba and Falz who create meaningful music. She also noted that in Jamaica, some Reggae artists focus on serious themes, while Dancehall artists produce fun, party music.
Spice recognized that although she is the Queen of dancehall, Afrobeats is currently the more popular genre.
Her remarks followed Buju Banton’s criticism of Afrobeats for not reflecting the true experiences of Africans.
According to Buju Banton, Afrobeats is becoming popular worldwide, but it fails to address or showcase the struggles of Africa like the music from past African artists.
He pointed out Fela Kuti, Salif Keita, and Youssou N’dour as key figures whose music had a significant social and political influence, even though their genres are different from the mainstream Afrobeats.
In his interview with the Drinking Champ Podcast, Buju Banton stated that Nigerian stars rarely work with Caribbean artists, even though Afrobeats is heavily influenced by Dancehall and Reggae.
