October 19, (THEWILL) – Music analyst and enthusiast, Motolani Alake has weighed in on the growth and popularity of Afrobeats across the world saying there’s no sustainable industry to keep pace.
In a recent chat, Alake noted that Afrobeats need a more sustainable industry and unity amongst practitioners across Africa.
“We are having it way easier. It’s mostly due to the internet and the success of our artists, propelled by first and second-generation Africans in Europe. But I worry that our artists might not greatly benefit from it,” he began.
Continuing, Alake said, “We are not a sufficiently sustainable industry, in a way that could help us benefit from all this spotlighting, hype, inclusion, and acceptance. Our ‘contemporaries’ like Latin Pop and K-Pop have far more sustainable industries. So does J-Pop and Indian Pop – we don’t.”
If American music capitalism slows down in Africa today, everything could come crashing down, and artists of other ethnicities might just take up Afrobeats and run with it.
“We are too divided as a continent, that we will ruin this instance of inclusion. In a few years, I can see Amapiano trying to fight for its place as ‘not Afrobeats’ because everybody erroneously thinks ‘Afrobeats is Nigerian.’ Which makes me think that ‘African music’ categories are far better and way more inclusive than Afrobeats categories at these awards.”
The podcast host also expressed worry saying, “These instances of inclusion and acceptance look good, but they scare me. I don’t think we are ready for it as a continent, as a people, and as a movement. But that’s just me. We are getting the treatment that a genre with Bad Bunny and J Balvin gets. Frankly, I’m worried.”
