Wizkid, the Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, has explained why he refuses to be branded as an Afrobeats artist.
In a now-deleted Instagram story post, the ‘IDK’ artist stated that, despite being African, he “makes all sorts of music”.
He added that by categorizing every song as Afrobeats, Nigerian artists are only nominated for “African categories” of music prizes such as the Grammys.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
The 33-year-old recently asked the public not to refer to him as an Afrobeats artiste.
He issued the warning when promoting his upcoming album, ‘Morayo’.
Afrobeats is one of Africa’s largest exports. The music genre gained broad public recognition in the late 2010s.
In 2023, Afrobeats achieved tremendous global popularity, with prominent Nigerian artists such as Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, among others, performing on the stages of some of the world’s greatest events and occasions.
