Nigerian Afrobeats star, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has claimed that if Afrobeats artistes limit themselves to making only music that appeals to fans, the genre won’t move forward.
Speaking at his concert over the weekend, Rema boldly stated that he makes music that he likes and doesn’t necessarily consider the fans’ preferences.
He declared that he is the “Prince of Afrobeats”, with a mandate to move the genre forward, but argued that if he and others stick to making music that only Afrobeats fans like, the genre won’t progress.
“I don’t care what you say about me. I don’t care if you like what I like. But I make music that I like before you like it. If I stick to what you like, Afrobeats is not going to move forward. And I will say it one more time, I am the f**king Prince of Afrobeats,” he said.
Rema’s comment comes against the backdrop of recent social media protests over Afrobeats artistes infusing other sounds into their music and embracing other genres in a desperate bid to appeal to foreign audiences.
African and traditional Afrobeats fans have been expressing disappointment over the trend.
Despite the complaints, more and more Afrobeats artistes have continued to churn out songs and albums that are heavily influenced by foreign sounds and genres.