Ruggedman Calls Afrobeats a Genre for Untalented Artistes
Ruggedman has taken a strong swipe at Afrobeats, saying it is not a real genre but a name many Nigerian artistes hide behind.
The veteran Nigerian rapper said he has always opposed the label, arguing that it wrongly groups all African music under one category.
He added that when he first spoke out, people accused him of jealousy.
According to him, the term gained popularity in the UK, where audiences began tagging all African sounds as Afrobeats, a move Nigerians later embraced.
Ruggedman said the label now allows artistes to rely on production rather than real talent.
For me, Afrobeats with an ‘S’ is a name talentless Nigerians hide behind. All you need to make an Afrobeats hit is just to get a good beat and a street slang and repeat it as many times as you like. Then spend a lot of money to promote it. That is the Afrobeats with an ‘S.’
He also claimed that only a few artistes can sing without autotune, which is why many avoid freestyling and live band performances.
