Omah Lay has voiced his issues concerning the state of the afrobeats style, lamenting its dilution to cater to international audiences and its growing commercialization.
In an interview with the Zach Sang Present, he expressed fear that the style was now not in secure arms because of the overwhelming give attention to cash moderately than ardour.
“There’s an excessive amount of cash in Afrobeats. Afrobeats artists are simply attempting to seize the cash,” he stated.
“I consider individuals are messing Afrobeats up. I additionally consider it’s turning into very industrial. Proper now, I don’t consider Afrobeats is in secure arms.”
In keeping with Omah Lay, the abundance of cash in afrobeats has led many artists to prioritize monetary achieve over inventive integrity, ensuing within the style’s commercialization.
It is a sentiment echoed by Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton, who criticized afrobeats for missing substance and predicted its eventual decline.
The criticisms from these distinguished artists carry to gentle the continuing debate surrounding afrobeats and its evolving identification within the world music scene.