Veteran Nigerian rapper Ruggedman has criticized the classification of African music under the “Afrobeats” label, calling it a name that talentless artists hide behind. He made the remarks in an interview with Day Genius.

Ruggedman said he has always opposed Afrobeats as an umbrella genre, claiming the UK popularized tagging all African music under it. He added that Nigerians simply wanted a convenient label for classic music.

The rapper argued that creating an Afrobeats hit often requires only a catchy beat, street slang, repetition, and heavy promotion, rather than real musical talent.

He further claimed that only a few Afrobeats artists can sing without autotune, which he sees as a limitation affecting the quality of performances.

Ruggedman also noted that many Afrobeats musicians avoid freestyling or performing live with bands, relying heavily on studio production instead.

He concluded that the term Afrobeats with an “S” has become a crutch for some artists, and genuine musical skills are often overlooked in the genre.