There have been a series of posts from Wizkid recently where he has claimed that those who enjoy the type of Afrobeats music he creates, like ‘Pakurumo’, should not listen to his upcoming album. He also said he was not an Afrobeats artist, before asking Nigerian blogs not to post his upcoming album, in a rant that went viral on social media.
Regarding Wizkid’s claim of not being an Afrobeats artiste, Obong Roviel described it as a popularity-seeking move aimed at provoking Nigerians, like Burna Boy with his statement that “Afrobeats was missing of substance” before the release of his latest album “I Told Them”.
“When an artist tries to release a project in Nigeria, you know it right away because they do things to get attention,” Obong Roviel says of Wizkid’s rant.
Obong Roviel says that contrary to what people claim, Afrobeats does not put artists in a box.
“Drake is a rapper but he makes pop music. Hip-hop didn’t lock Drake in, so Wizkid can’t claim Afrobeats locked him in,” Roviel says.
Basito, a popular fan of Wizkid, has a contrary opinion that the Afrobeats label limits the opportunities given to African artists at international awards.
“When it comes to international awards, all African artists are put in one category whether they do Afrobeats or not. This is what Wizkid is fighting against because he wants Nigerian artists to compete in other categories,” Basito argues.
Claims that the Afrobeats label locks artists in remain unfounded as it does not stop them from making music in other genres.
Commentators from the Afrobeats scene pointed out that Wizkid won an R&B category at the BETs with his song ‘Essence’, while Burna Boy was nominated in the Best Melodious Hip-Hop category at the 66th Grammy Awards for his song ‘Sittin’ On Top of The World’ feat with 21 Savage.
This demonstrates that when Nigerian artists make music in other genres lacking the markers of Afrobeats, they have the opportunity to be recognized in other categories. So, the Afrobeats label is not the problem, since the artists refuse to make the type of music that could compete in the main categories.