“Their music is not freeing africa. Your music needs to free Africa. I am all the way in Jamaica, and my people had to fight to free your continent, with words, sound and power. You have the ability to do that now and all you sing is fuckery?”
Jamaican reggae musician Buju Banton has bluntly criticized Afrobeats, calling the genre uninspiring and one that lacks substance, to uplift Africans.
The legendary reggae artiste made the provocative comments during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast on Saturday, Aug10, 2024. According to Buju Banton, Afrobeats does not pay homage to reggae and the dancehall genres. He stated that he once embarked on a voyage to African countries and universities to educate people about reggae and dancehall in 1991.
“I went to Africa in 1991 and I spent three weeks constantly in the universities, under baobab trees, educating people from Ghana, and all over the continent about dancehall and reggae,” he said. “I was happy when they came to their senses to realize that music is the bridge that is going to connect us. But what I was disappointed in, they (Afrobeats artiste) didn’t try to connect with Jamaica the roots, but connected to everyone else,” he said.
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He noted that Jamaica, through reggae music, advocated for Africa’s liberation in the past. However, when Africans gained the opportunity to uplift their continent with music, they rather chose to produce songs that lack substance and failed to uplift the Africa.
“When I take a look at their music, it is not freeing Africa. It is fuckery, their music is not freeing africa. Your music needs to free Africa. I am all the way in Jamaica, and my people had to fight to free your continent, with words, sound and power. You have the ability to do that now and all you sing is fuckery?” He added.
Additionally he added that reggae music would stand the test of time, tagging it as music that speaks to the soul, fitting for Kings. When Afrobeats on the other hand, falls short in terms of creating music to empower Africans.
“Tell me one Afrobeats song that can uplift us? Kenya is suffering; young men in Kenya are revolting. South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, you name it. But which of these Afrobeats songs can i relate to for a peace of mind, to tell me that we are in the struggle, and we are going to be better in the struggle, and even though the struggle is hard, we are going to overcome. Tell me?” Buju Banton asked the host.
Buju Banton acknowledged that even though Afrobeats originates from Africa, it has been shaped and influenced by dancehall and reggae.
“Our music has everything to do with Africa, we don’t separate ourselves from African in any way. Because the drums in our music is what speaks to our soul, same with Afrobeats. But what are you saying? It is easy to get people to listen to you, but what do you have to say to them? that is the hard part,” he said.
According to him, the greatest musicians to come out of Africa are Fela Kuti (Nigeria), Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), Lucky Dube (South Africa), Salif Keita (Mali), and Baba Maal (Senegal) due to the substance and emancipatory messages in their songs.
