Veteran Nigerian rapper and humanitarian Ruggedman has expressed his belief that the widely used “Afrobeats” label may soon fade away.
“I just have a feeling that this whole Afrobeats thing, the tag might end soon,” he said while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds on Sunday.
Born Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, the rapper noted that although he is proud of the global success of Nigerian music, he is not entirely pleased with the current standard of songs being released.
He stated, “Nigerian music is in the forefront and I’m happy it is Nigerian music,” but added, “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.”
Ruggedman went on to differentiate between Afrobeat and Afrobeats, noting that while Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat was politically charged and instrumentally rich, today’s Afrobeats represents a more commercial and pop-driven sound.
When asked about the state of rap in Nigeria, he admitted the genre is struggling to compete commercially. “Unfortunately, rap has kind of taken a backseat, because people want to do something that gives them money quickly,” he explained.
According to him, the cost of promoting rap music is much higher compared to Afrobeats, which makes it harder for rappers to sustain their craft.
The hip-hop star also criticised Nigeria’s dependence on foreign validation in music distribution. He questioned, “Why would anyone want to categorise artists like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Kwam 1, and others into the Afrobeats music category? I wish they had just left it at Nigerian music.”
Ruggedman recently released acoustic versions of five of his popular songs — “Ruggedy Baba,” “Baraje,” “Change,” “Won’t Battle,” and “One Man” — featuring renowned guitarist Fiokee.
Speaking on the project, he said, “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.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Ruggedman revealed he has new collaborations lined up with Odumodu Blvck, Jeric, Magnito, Tubaba, and several other artists.
