Yemi Alade, a celebrated diva in African music, has taken a swipe at some artistes in the industry whose comments seek to denigrate the Afrobeats genre.
She believes it is “hypocritical” for top talents on the continent to “downplay the role of Afrobeats,” which has contributed to the development of many artistes.
In a post early this week, she said artistes could “go ahead” to redefine their style of music but should not belittle the Afrobeats brand.
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“I don’t see anything wrong in informing your listeners of the genre of music an artist makes, especially when you feel it doesn’t define your art. Just announce your genre in peace. Downplaying the role Afrobeats has played in every artist’s development is hypocrisy,” she wrote on her X (Twitter) handle.
Yemi Alade’s “bombardment” follows comments by artistes like Wizkid and Burna Boy, who in recent times, have said they do not want to be tagged as Afrobeats musicians, despite the global influence of the genre.
It will be recalled that Wizkid, announcing work on his new album this year, indicated that fans who love Afrobeats “should not download the album.”
In a social media post attributed to him, he wrote: “I am not a f****kg Afrobeats artiste! Don’t call me that….And please, if u like Afrobeats, don’t download this new album; in fact, delete me from your playlist and your life…Don’t call me an Afrobeats artiste. I’m not Afro anything.”
It is, however, not clear why the Ojuelegba crooner made the comment but industry watchers said his new album, Morayo, could be an “evolution of his style of music.”
Before Wizkid’s comment, Burna Boy had also passed a similar comment, which generated mixed reactions from his fan base. This and other remarks by some renowned artistes do not sit well with Yemi Alade, who goes by the self-acclaimed title “Mama Africa.”
The Johnny hitmaker, in January this year, was among selected African musicians who performed at the opening of the African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Tapping into her usual energy, she entertained the crowd with uplifting renditions, which won the admiration of many fans.
