Seun Kuti Says Afrobeats Is a Title Not a Genre
Maverick Nigerian singer Seun Kuti has stirred fresh conversations about Afrobeats, saying it should not be seen as a music genre. According to him, Afrobeats is more of a “title” used to describe music from Africa rather than a defined style of sound.
The Grammy-nominated Afrobeat star shared his opinion during an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM Lagos, where he explained that artists and music executives themselves do not treat Afrobeats like a genre. Instead, he argued that it is just a general label given to African music.
Seun Kuti, who is the youngest son of the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, said that the word Afrobeats has become a tag rather than a musical identity. He compared it to how Amapiano is now being seen as the new wave under the Afrobeats umbrella, even though it is a completely different sound from South Africa.
He explained that many Afrobeats artists today do not stick to one unique style of music. Instead, they explore different sounds by switching between genres. For example, one artist might release a dancehall song today, record a blues track tomorrow, jump on an Amapiano beat next, and still make Nigerian pop music. This, he said, shows that Afrobeats is not really a genre but more of a collective title.
Seun Kuti emphasized that the so-called “gatekeepers” of the industry also do not treat Afrobeats as a genre. He believes that big names and executives use the term more as a marketing label to package African music for global recognition rather than as a structured genre with a clear identity.
According to him, the diversity of sounds within Afrobeats is proof that it is too broad to be boxed into a single category. He argued that it is simply a convenient way of identifying music from Africa without fully understanding its uniqueness.
Seun Kuti’s take on Afrobeats has added to the ongoing debate about the definition and future of African music on the global stage. While many see Afrobeats as a genre shaping global culture, others agree with Kuti that it is more of a broad label used to group African artists together.
His statement reflects the complexity of Africa’s music industry, where creativity and diversity continue to define the sound. Whether Afrobeats is a genre or just a tag, there is no doubt that it has played a major role in bringing African artists into the spotlight around the world.
