Disc jockey and music executive DJ Big N has said Afrobeats is currently at its lowest point in the past two decades.
Speaking in an interview with Echo Room, the Mavin Records DJ lamented the poor quality and lack of originality in today’s Afrobeats sound.
“Afrobeats right now is at its worst position in the last 20 years. And everyone from musicians to music executives have a part to be blamed. The quality of music dropped. You have to understand that the quality of the product is important in every way,” he said.
“Also, the originality of the music dropped. Always understand that whatever you want to export has to be original, first and foremost. If you tried to export something else, it’s only a matter of time before you stopped getting demands. You can’t sell foreign genres to foreign audiences. We have to embrace our originality,” he added.
DJ Big N, whose real name is Nonso Ajufo, joined Mavin Records in 2013 and has worked with top acts including Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Rema and Ayra Starr.
His comments come amid growing debate about the direction of Afrobeats, with several critics and insiders expressing concern that the genre is becoming repetitive and overly commercialized.
Years back, Burna Boy said most Afrobeats songs lack substance and are “about nothing,” while Davido described the current Afrobeats scene as “too crowded,” urging artistes to focus on creativity rather than numbers.
