Afrobeats Label Risks Erasing Africa’s Musical Diversity

The global music industry’s widespread use of “Afrobeats” as a catch-all term obscures the diversity of African music and limits recognition for emerging genres, according to a commentary in The Guardian. South African singer Tyla highlighted the problem after winning the best Afrobeats award at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, explaining that her music belongs to amapiano, a distinctive South African dance genre. Nigerian artists including Tems, Burna Boy, and Wizkid have also challenged the label, preferring descriptions that better reflect their individual sounds. The term emerged in the early 2010s as a marketing category for contemporary West African music but has since expanded to encompass styles ranging from pop and rap to gospel and alternative music. The writer warns that this broad classification can undermine the development of distinct musical identities and contends that sounds such as banku music, azonto, and zanku have faded because nobody marketed or documented them as distinct genres. Commentators say artists and industry figures share responsibility, since many criticize the term while still using it.