Wack Music Has No Place in Afrobeats Anymore – Joeboy
Kehinde Adeleye
Popular Nigerian singer Joeboy has said that Afrobeats is currently experiencing a renaissance, with the genre being cleansed of what he describes as “adulterated music.”
Speaking during his sold-out Valentine’s Day performance in Lagos, the ‘Faji’ crooner explained that Afrobeats is returning to its roots.
“Afrobeats right now is going through a purge. We are getting back to the times where real music is going to stay – no more gimmicking and all of that. I can feel it already, and I am happy that we are getting back to those zones where the music speaks. I thank God for that,” he said.
At the start of the 2020s, the Nigerian music industry saw a heavy fusion of Afrobeats with other genres, particularly South Africa’s Amapiano, American hip-hop, and R&B. Critics argued that this blend, often aimed at a global audience, diluted the essence of Afrobeats and called for a return to the original sound.
The trend began to shift in 2024 when Nigerian artists started producing “real Afrobeats” again, reducing the infusion of foreign genres in their music.
Many Nigerian music fans have welcomed this return to authenticity, though they acknowledge that it will take time for Afrobeats to fully reclaim its original rhythm.
