Afrobeats singer Omah Lay has claimed that his musical style is being copied by fellow artists from Nigeria and other countries. In a recent interview with Billboard, the "Soso" hitmaker stated that he pioneered a unique sound within Afrobeats that many of his colleagues are now imitating.
"The artists coming out from Nigeria right now, not just Nigeria but Afrobeats in general, are taking a bit of my stuff, the stuff I started. Everybody's trying to copy something," Omah Lay asserted.
He also criticized some of the leading figures in the Afrobeats scene for diluting the genre in an effort to appeal to international audiences and maximize their earnings. He expressed frustration over the growing influence of the South African genre Amapiano in Afrobeats clubs, suggesting that it has overshadowed traditional Afrobeats sounds.
“I’m not happy with what the pioneers of Afrobeats are doing right now. The front guys are watering it down by just chasing the bags. I can’t remember the last time I heard a proper Afrobeats song. It’s now Amapiano in Afrobeats clubs, not a proper Afrobeats song,” he lamented.
