The Nigerian musician Omah Lay has expressed worries about the current situation of Afrobeats, claiming it is not in “safe hands.”
The artist claimed that the genre has become unduly commercialised, putting money before passion, in a recent episode of Zach Sang Show.
The 27-year-old songwriter stated that he thinks this is partially because the Afrobeats pioneers neglected to consider the future of the genre.
In order to “make Afrobeats pure again,” Omah Lay advises musicians to infuse their lyrics with more meaning and depth.
“Afrobeats is one of the most relevant genres in the world but I believe people are messing it up,” he said.
“I also believe that it is becoming very commercial which of course is what we want, we want the world to listen to Afrobeats but I feel like there is just too much money in people’s faces these days.
“And Afrobeats artistes are just trying to grab the money, just the money. I think the best thing I can do as an artiste is to give back to Afrobeats, just make the music, the art.
“I also have my fear for Afrobeats. Of course, we want Afrobeats to the world, that is the whole mission that is happening right now.
“At the same time, I feel like the pioneers of Afrobeats are just all over the place right now and are not really making Afrobeats anymore.
“To make Afrobeats pure again, we need to give it essence and life. It should not be something people just dance to, it should be something, there is something it should say to you.
“Let’s talk about hip-hop 2Pac when you listen to it, you know you are listening to something, somebody is talking about your life, capturing your life in these lines, somebody is telling you something.
“I feel like that is one thing that is missing right now in Afrobeats. Of course, there are lots of amazing Afrobeats artistes doing awesome.
“When you listen to the songs, you see the artistes and just wish more for them and that way Afrobeats will be in safe hands. But right now I don’t believe it is in safe hands.”
