Veteran Nigerian rapper Ruggedman has sparked fresh debate in the music industry with his strong criticism of the term “Afrobeats.” In a recent interview with DayGenius, the veteran argued that the label has become an umbrella term that masks a lack of real talent among many artists coming out of Africa.
Ruggedman made it clear he has never supported the widespread use of the genre name.
“I don’t like Afrobeats as an umbrella genre from every music coming out of Africa. That was a mistake. I didn’t liked it from the beginning but when I complained, people accused me of being jealous or trying to gatekeep.”
He went further, claiming the tag allows some artists to succeed without genuine skill.
“For me, Afrobeats with an ‘S’ is a name talentless Nigerians hide behind. All you need to make an Afrobeats hit is just to get a good beat and a street slang and repeat it as many times as you like. Then spend a lot of money to promote it. That is the Afrobeats with an ‘S’.”
The rapper highlighted how the label follows artists beyond Nigeria.
“Right now, if I go to the UK to perform, I would be tagged an Afrobeats artistes. It is wrong.”
Pointing out that the trend started in the UK, he said,
“It is the people in the UK who started this thing of tagging every African music Afrobeats. Nigerians love classicism. They just wanted to give it a name.”
According to Ruggedman, the heavy reliance on catchy production and promotion has created a generation of artists who struggle when it comes to live shows. He suggested many cannot freestyle or deliver strong performances without the help of autotune and studio tricks.
His comments have already begun circulating widely among music lovers and industry insiders. As one of Nigeria’s pioneering hip-hop voices, Ruggedman insists the blanket term does a disservice to the true diversity of African sounds.
While some may see his remarks as controversial, Ruggedman insists that the industry needs more substance behind the hits.