Nigerian singer Seun Kuti has weighed in on the debate surrounding Afrobeats, stressing that it should be regarded more as a label than as a clearly defined genre.
In a recent interview with The Beat 99.9 FM Lagos, shared on Facebook on Monday, the Grammy-nominated artist shared his perspective.
He explained that both musicians and industry executives treat Afrobeats more as a tag for African music than as a structured genre.
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He said: “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].”
Kuti further argued that even major stakeholders don’t approach Afrobeats as a true genre. “I don’t think it’s a genre. Even the gatekeepers, the big names don’t deal with it like a genre, they don’t work it like a genre. 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 added.
