- Do2dtun has criticized South African singer Tyla for her remarks during her acceptance speech at the VMA’s after winning the Best Afrobeats Award.
- On September 12, 2024, he called her out on Instagram for emphasizing the diversity of African music beyond just Afrobeats in her speech.
Nigerian media figure Do2dtun has criticized South African singer Tyla for her remarks during her acceptance speech at the VMA’s after winning the Best Afrobeats Award.
On September 12, 2024, he called her out on Instagram for emphasizing the diversity of African music beyond just Afrobeats in her speech.
He wrote, “Aunty @tyla aka am not Afrobeats, I am Amapiano. We have heard you but your song “Water” isn’t amapiano either. If you thought you were categorized in a wrong category, you should have given the award back or denounced the nomination. You clearly took an award that didn’t represent you or your sound from that statement you made.”
“Again, you see why you “ESAUS” need to rethink. You all sold our birthright for peanuts. Afrobeat is Afrobeat not Afrobeats hence the confusion…” he added.
Tyla’s speech focused on the common practice of categorizing all African artists as Afrobeats, despite the genre’s major influence and achievements.
She said, “This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeat[s]. It’s a thing, and even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse, it is more than just Afrobeats. “I come from South Africa. I represent amapiano. I represent my culture, and I just want to shout out [to] all the Afrobeats artists in this category with me.”
Tyla’s remark caused a big stir on social media and drew strong criticism from many, including Do2dtun.
The OAP also spoke about it on Twitter, now called X, where he criticized what he sees as a misunderstanding of African music styles.
He wrote, “A few selfish ones renamed an established genre to satisfy their pay masters. Yet again you see why it’s best to let the originators be allowed to educate the world. Tyla winning Best Afrobeat song is a miss in my opinion but how do you say it isn’t when a few added “s” to it.”
