In a recent episode of the Business Untitled Podcast, Davido followed in the footsteps of Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Fireboy by distancing himself from the Afrobeats genre.
Expressing his frustration, the ‘OBO’ star criticized the tendency to label all African artists as Afrobeats artists, regardless of their unique musical styles.
During the podcast, Davido noted, “The UK was the first place outside Africa to embrace African music, labeling it Afrobeats. Even before America, the UK was already on board. Originally, Afrobeat was pioneered by Fela Kuti, but now, every African song is labeled Afrobeats. Whether an African artist sings pure R&B like SZA or Summer Walker, they get thrown into the Afrobeats category. Even if an African rapper sounds like Drake, they still get categorized as Afrobeats.”
While acknowledging the need for musical genres, Davido emphasized, “I don’t mind being classified as Afrobeats. It’s essential to have a genre, whether it’s R&B or Afropop. Personally, I refer to my music as Afrofusion, but I don’t insist on labeling it as such. I am aware of the efforts it took to bring African music into the mainstream.”