After Lil Duval tweeted that “Afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it,” many have been chiming in on the validity of the statement.
afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it
— lil duval (@lilduval) February 20, 2023
One respected voice that has emerged is Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA who shared that Afrobeats is a part of the culture, not something that will take over or bring it to an end.
In an interview with TMZ, Bobby Digitals said, “I understand that would you mean by killing it”
“Afrobeat is Hip-Hop. They basically are doing their form of Hip-Hop,” the Staten Island native says. “ Just like Trap was Hip-Hop … Just like G-Funk was Hip-Hop. It’s just their rendition.”
Adding, “And you know what? They deserve a chance, just like the rest of us deserve a chance, for our music to be heard around the world, inspire, and feed families.
The statement was sparked by the amazing half-time show during the NBA All-Star Game.
Three major Afrobeat artists such as Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema took the stage and created magic.
So popular is the subgenre of Hip-Hop (or genre of music) that Billboard created its own chart for it in 2022. According to AfricaNews, the magazine would team up with festival company Afro Nation to launch America’s first-ever Afrobeats chart.
Afro Nation founder, Obi Asika told Billboard in 2022, “I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people.”
Hip-Hop is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as a cultural movement and has seen other vibes of Black music intertwine with it over the years. Do you think there is an end in sight? Or, considering Duval’s “as we know it” addition, do you think it will continue to change into something different than what we see?