In response to Buju Banton’s critique of Afrobeats as frivolous music, Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Tems claims the genre is more meant for escape than for tackling social issues.
The topic came up during her appearance on Kick Game’s Shopping for Sneakers, where Craig Mitch, the host, brought up Buju Banton’s August Revolt TV Drink Champs interview.
- Advertisement -
Buju Banton had accused Afrobeats in that interview of being “shallow and unsubstantial music that lacks content aimed at liberating Africa,” comparing it with Dancehall and Reggae’s deeply ingrained and politically driven ideas. The African Pride singer also expressed displeasure that modern African musicians, in contrast to icons like Fela Kuti and Lucky Dube, have not carried on the tradition of using music to highlight social and political issues. She also predicted that the Afrobeats genre will eventually die.
In response to Buju’s criticism, Tems provided a different take on Afrobeats, emphasizing that the genre serves as a diversion and a means of solace from harsh reality. Tems also acknowledged the Jamaican artist’s importance and influence in the international music scene.
“Of course, I really respect Buju Banton as an artist, and I understand where he’s coming from. Reggae is not Afrobeats, and the Afrobeats in Nigeria are specifically for escapism. It’s specifically for dancing; specifically for vibes. It’s specifically made for that purpose. That’s the purpose of Afrobeats. It’s made to bring you alive and just forget about your worries and just enjoy,” she noted.
“The climate of Nigeria calls for that type of music. That’s why Nigerians love that music and the world has come to love that music. But it doesn’t change the purpose of that music… so the purpose remains the same. It’s always been for vibes and I think that’s just the clarification, you know, Afrobeats is not Reggae and Reggae is not Afrobeats,” she stated.
Tems asserted that Afrobeats is just one of many music genres with a variety of uses, citing his most streamed songs like Higher, Essence with Wizkid, and Free Mind as examples.
“We can’t all make the same type of music. It’s like R&B is usually about heartbreak or it’s about love. You can’t compare R&B to Jazz; you can’t compare Jazz to rock music or punk rock. Music is for different purposes, and there is music that is for uplifting people economically, financially, and politically, and then there is music that is just for escape—it’s a good time,” she noted.
In his interview with Revolt TV, Buju expressed his worries about the future of African music, specifically Afrobeats, and its capacity to bring about societal transformation.
Buju stated, “The music needs to free Africa. If I am all the way in Jamaica, and my country and my people fight fi free your continent with word, sound, and power, and you have the ability now, and all you are singing is f-ckery? You don’t sing a song to free Africa all now?”
Furthermore, he emphasized the significance of making a lasting impression through music, pushing Afrobeats artists to think about their legacy rather than only focusing on being wealthy.
“We want more from dem. You want the money? Go and get it! But what is gonna be said about you later on and your posterity? You didn’t make any impact! So Reggae music still stands predominant. It is still the king’s music,” he noted.
Similar feelings to Buju’s were expressed by Nigerian musician Burna Boy in an Apple Music interview from the previous year. The vocalist of The Last Last had previously criticized numerous Afrobeats tracks for having shallow and unreal lyrics.
“Half of them, 90 percent of them, have almost no real-life experiences that they can understand, which is why you hear most Nigerian music, African Music, or Afrobeats, as people call it, is mostly about nothing, literally nothing,” he noted.
