Nigerian rapper and humanitarian, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, better known as Ruggedman, has questioned why anyone would want to categorise artists like Fela Anikulapokuti, King Sunny Ade, and Kwam1, among others, into the Afrobeats music category.
Naija News reports that Ruggedman, during an interview on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Mind programme on Sunday, said, “I wish they had just left it at Nigerian music.”
“Even though their names, Afrobeat and Afrobeats sound almost the same, some people are of the opinion that they are not the same. Afrobeat is Fela Kuti’s revolutionary, instrumental genre while Afrobeats is today’s diverse, commercial African pop sound.”
Ruggedman also expressed concern that the Afrobeats tag, given to a genre of music in the country, might soon come to an end.
He stated, “I just have a feeling that this whole Afrobeats thing, the tag might end soon. Nigerian music is in the forefront and I’m happy it is Nigerian music.
“The only change that I don’t fancy much is the quality of the music, and not too many of them are giving me what I really respect.”
When questioned about the rap genre, he said, “Unfortunately, rap has kind of taken a backseat, because people want to do something that gives them money quickly. Not too many people are doing rap, and it costs more to push and promote rap than Afrobeats.”
Speaking about his latest acoustic versions of five of his songs: ‘Ruggedy Baba’, ‘Baraje’, ‘Change’, ‘Won’t Battle’, and ‘One Man’, with the help and support of the great guitarist, Fiokee, Ruggedman added, “This is the first time, no Nigerian rapper has done this acoustics, just guitar and rap.
“So this gives you an opportunity to hear the lyrics and feel the soul, the heart behind all the words I use, and nobody has done this before.”
