“Afrobeats is for talentless artistes!” – Ruggedman claims

Veteran Nigerian rapper Ruggedman has stirred fresh debate within the music industry after criticising the popular use of “Afrobeats” as a blanket term for African music.

Speaking during a recent interview, the outspoken artiste argued that the label has been misapplied and is now being used by some musicians to mask a lack of originality and talent.

According to him, the widespread categorisation of all African sounds under “Afrobeats” is misleading and diminishes the diversity of music coming out of the continent.

He maintained that the trend originated outside Africa, particularly in the United Kingdom, where different African genres were grouped under a single name for convenience.

Ruggedman expressed frustration that regardless of style or lyrical depth, many artists are now automatically branded as Afrobeats performers when they perform internationally.

He further claimed that the genre label has become a “hiding place” for some artistes who rely on repetitive lyrics, catchy beats, and heavy promotion rather than vocal ability or musical creativity.

The rapper also questioned the performance capabilities of some artists within the space, alleging that only a few can deliver strong live performances without the aid of autotune.