Yemi Alade, a well-known Afropop singer-songwriter from Nigeria, has chastised her peers for trivializing the Afrobeats genre.
She stated that although it is acceptable for artists to criticize Afrobeats, particularly if they believe the genre does not fully define their work, it is hypocritical of them to minimize the genre given how much it has aided in the growth of every Nigerian musician.
On her X handle, the crooner known as “Johnny” wrote: “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.”
Alade’s social media outburst coincides with several Nigerian musicians criticizing the Afrobeats genre, such as Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid.
Regardless of their individual musical approaches, they all asserted that they abandoned the genre because African musicians were all pigeonholed into Afrobeats.
Arguably, one of the best female musicians in the nation is Alade.
With the release of her 2014 hit, “Johnny,” she rose to prominence. It’s well known that Yemi Alade performs her songs in French, Yoruba, and English. Her music, which combines pop, R&B, dancehall, highlife, and afro has influenced several African nations.
In both 2015 and 2016, she took home the Best Female MTV Africa Music Award (MAMA).
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