A growing trend among Nigerian celebrities is to distance themselves from Afrobeat, even as the genre gains global recognition and continues to evolve. Many artists are now signaling to their fans that their music styles are progressing beyond the confines of Afrobeat.
Nigerian Producer turned artist Pheelz dropped his two cents on the situation. This entire movement started when artists clarified exactly what music genre they make (Fireboy, Joeboy, and Burna Boy). Then superstar Wizkid took to social media to tell fans that he “doesn’t make afro- anything”. He declared that he doesn’t want to be labeled under only Afrobeat. This declaration prompted diverse viewpoints on the topic.
Read: Why Nigerian artists are trying so hard to denounce Afrobeats
During his interview on the Afrobeats Podcast hosted by Adesope, Pheelz said that it is the prerogative of an artist to either associate or disassociate. He said it is not a forceful ideology. The award-winning producer believes that now is the time to continue representing the culture. The entire world’s attention is now on Africa. He affirmed his commitment to proudly and boldly represent Afrobeat, standing firm in his stance.
He said “For me, I feel like it’s a tag for how we make our music. It’s a form of identifying what we do and where we are from. To some degree, it’s a form of collective decision by we Africans or Nigerians or the culture that let us move with this. So I choose to respect that collective decision and be part of that consciousness and boldly and proudly wave this flag“
“Now is the time to even educate the world on what we have and what light we bring because the whole attention is on us. This is the time to teach, collaborate, and come together to save this light,”
