Wizkid‘s recent declaration that he is “not a f*cking Afrobeats artist” caused quite a stir on social media and The GRAMMY winner, is doubling down and using the attention to announce his sixth studio album ‘Morayo.’
The Nigerian hitmaker expressed his frustration, stating, “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.”
In his statement, the ‘Essence’ singer emphasized his versatility, asserting, “Am I African? Yes! But I do make all sorts of music. Fine music!” He rejected being pigeonholed as just an Afrobeats artist, likening it to assuming every American artist makes rap. He criticized the tendency to categorize African artists solely under the Afrobeats label, highlighting the diversity of musical styles he explores.
The artist says he wants to explore various genres, stating, “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!” He criticized the term “Afrobeats,” attributing it to a simplification that fails to capture the complexity of African music.
Asserting his identity as an artist first and foremost, Wizkid declared, “I’m an artiste before anything else… True to my art. Not scared to try sh*t.” He even went as far as disassociating himself from him Afrobeats fans saying, “If you love Afrobeats please don’t download my album.”
He also humorously quipped, “Now y’all drink some milk.”
Wizkid’s redefinition of his music comes 2 years after Joe Budden had declared “Essence” Song Of The Year at the Grammys and after Burna Boy sought to claim his genre of music as Afro-fusion on Million Dollars Worth Of Game podcast two years ago when he was about to dominate the US market with his Last Last hit and the release of Love, Damini (2022).
Burna Boy, 32, cited a lack of identifiable representation upon entering the music scene and clarified the distinctions between African musical genres for American audiences who might conflate the terms. Explaining the evolution of naming conventions, he notes the emergence of Nigerian music and the adoption of the term “Afrobeat” with an added “s” to form “Afrobeats.”
“It wasn’t Afrobeats in Africa,” Burna Boy explains. “We have Highlife, we have Juju music, we have Fuji music, we have all types of music, we have South African Kwaito music, we have Amapiano now, we have all types of music, we have real African hip hop, we have afro-pop, we have all types of genres in Africa.”
He emphasizes, “So to be really sincere, for you to just call everything Afrobeats, it kinda does a disservice.”
Reflecting on his journey, he shares, “I always knew I was bigger than the space I was in, I always knew that where I was at is not where I belong, I didn’t belong in that situation and that place I belong in the world.”
Asserting his global identity, he adds, “I identify myself as a global citizen.”
