Ebro Darden, the US OAP, says record labels are now prioritising the signing of Afrobeats talents.
The radio personality tweeted that he obtained information regarding an ongoing trend from an unnamed source.
According to the insider, many major companies are prioritizing recruiting African music talents over signing rap artists.
The OAP’s source was described in the alleged comment as suggesting that the repetitious nature of rap music is to blame.
“It should be noted many major record labels have deprioritized signing rappers,” Darden’s tweet reads in part.
“The focus is now African music & Latin music rappers better stop being boring and talking about the same [thing] over and over, chasing TikTok success and comment sections’.”
Among the major labels dominating the global recording industry are Sony, Universal, and Warner Music.
African music has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, driven by the growing recognition of Afrobeats.
This has put Nigerian talents, who dominate the fast-growing music genre, in something of a global spotlight.
In March 2023, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that music revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa spiked by 34.7 percent in 2022 to make the region the fastest-growing on the continent.
This, it said, was driven largely by a significant 31.4 percent boost in South Africa, the region’s largest market.
The Middle East and North Africa had the third highest growth rate in 2022, spiralling by 23.8 percent.
And 95.5 percent of that growth, the IFPI added, came from streaming, the highest from any region globally.
