Nigerian singer Omah Lay has expressed concern over the direction of Afrobeats, warning that the genre may be drifting away from artistic depth as some musicians focus more on commercial success than creativity.

Speaking during an interview, he said, “The thing that I fear for Afrobeats, Nigerian music, is drifting towards a place where n+ggas are not putting in so much effort in the art anymore, and that is also hurting my culture.”

He further criticised what he described as a growing lack of dedication to musical craftsmanship, stating, “People are just really playing with music these days and not digging into the sound, trying to improve the craft and the whole creativity around it. It’s just like quick money.”

According to the singer, this shift is also influencing listeners and emerging artists. “Now the audience are used to a level of music, and that is what the new generation is growing into. So they are even doing worse,” he added.

While acknowledging the global success of Afrobeats, Omah Lay clarified that international exposure is not entirely responsible for the change. “I also don’t want to pin that on the globalization of Afrobeats. That could be one of the reasons. But in general, it’s a good thing Africa to the world, Afrobeats to the world is happening. People are getting to know us from our music,” he said.

He concluded by expressing hope that the industry can strike a balance between global expansion and maintaining artistic quality.

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