Davido has emphasized his role in the rise of Afrobeats, declaring that the genre cannot be discussed without mentioning his name.
The singer, known for hits like Skelewu, made this assertion in the latest issue of TheBeatJuice magazine. “Afrobeats can’t be brought up without my name. Impossible,” he said.
Widely recognized as one of the top three Afrobeats artists alongside Wizkid and Burna Boy, Davido has previously expressed mixed feelings about the genre. In an earlier interview on the Business Untitled Podcast, he criticized the tendency to label all African artists under the Afrobeats banner, regardless of their distinct styles.
Davido shared that he prefers to describe his music as “Afrofusion” but isn’t offended by the Afrobeats label, acknowledging its role in promoting African music globally.
“I don’t get offended when we’ve been categorised as Afrobeats. I mean, we need a genre. It could be R&B or Afropop,” he said. “I call my music Afrofusion but I’m not big on ‘O put Afrofusion on my song.’ I know how long it took for African music to become mainstream.”
