Why I don’t want to be labelled Afrobeats artist

Grammy-winning artist Ayodeji Balogun, famously known as Wizkid, has clarified his stance on rejecting the label of an Afrobeats artist. Wizkid faced criticism after publicly disassociating himself from the Afrobeats genre in a recent social media post. In response to the backlash, the singer explained that he prefers not to confine himself to a single genre as he creates a diverse range of music.

He observed that due to the Afrobeats label, African artists are consistently confined to “one Africa category or the other.”

Taking to his Instagram story, Wizkid expressed: “You lost individuals always seek someone to enlighten you. You have your phone, do some Google research or take a journey and explore the world, don’t remain ignorant and foolish all the time.

“Listen, am I African? Absolutely! But I create a variety of music. Exceptional music! However, I don’t want to be pigeonholed as just afrobeats. That’s like assuming every American artist solely produces rap. It’s nonsensical. This is why regardless of the quality or brilliance of the music we create, whether it’s RnB or any other genre, we always find ourselves lumped into one Africa category or another.

“I’ve crafted songs across different music genres. ‘Made in Lagos’ is not just an ‘Afrobeats’ album. It’s a blend of diverse sounds. Authentic music!

“The term Afrobeats was coined by you all to encapsulate everything we create into one box.

“Fela pioneered Afrobeat!! I delve into all kinds of music. A fusion of sounds! ‘I’m an artist’ before anything else. True to my craft. Unafraid to experiment. Now, go have some milk!”