Omah Lay: Afrobeats no longer in safe hands… pioneers messing it up

Omah Lay, the Nigerian singer, has expressed concerns about the state of Afrobeats, saying it is not in “safe hands”.

In a recent episode of Zach Sang Show, the singer argued that the genre has become overly commercialized, prioritizing profit over passion.

The 27-year-old songwriter said he believes this is partly due to the pioneers of Afrobeats not paying enough attention to the genre’s direction.

Omah Lay suggests that artistes add depth and essence to their lyrics to “make Afrobeats pure again”.

“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.”

Buju Banton, the Jamaican singer, recently said Afrobeats lacks depth and fails to address the struggles of Africa.