Wizkid: Why I refuse to be called Afrobeats artiste

Wizkid, the Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, has revealed why he refuses to be labeled an Afrobeats artiste.

In a now-deleted post via his Instagram story, the ‘IDK’ singer said although he is African, he “makes all sorts of music”.

He explained that labeling every song as Afrobeats is why Nigerian artistes are only nominated in “African categories” of music awards like the Grammys.

“U lost people always want someone to educate you. U got your phone Google research sh*t or take a flight and see the world don’t be ignorant and stupid all the time,” he wrote.

“Listen, am I African? Yes! But I do make all sorts of music. Fine music! But I don’t want these labeled just afrobeats. That’s like saying every American artist makes rap. That’s stupid.

“This is why no matter how good or amazing the music we make be it RnB or whatever other genre, we all get nominated in one Africa category or the other. I’ve made songs from different genres of music. Made in Lagos is not an ‘Afrobeats’ album.

“That’s a fusion of different sounds. Real music! The word Afrobeats was made up by y’all to put all we make into one box. Fela created Afrobeat!!

“I make All sorts of music. Fusion of sounds! ‘I’m an artiste’ before anything else. True to my art. Not scared to try shit. Now y’all drink some milk.”

The 33-year-old recently asked the public not to refer to him as an Afrobeats artiste.

He gave the warning while announcing his forthcoming album titled ‘Morayo’.

Afrobeats is one of Africa’s biggest exports. The music genre began to experience widespread mainstream acclaim in the late 2010s.

In 2023, Afrobeats enjoyed massive global recognition, with top Nigerian artistes like Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy — among others — gracing the stages of some of the biggest events and occasions worldwide.