Veteran Nigerian musician Zaaki Azzay has called on contemporary Afrobeats artistes to take deliberate steps to preserve the genre’s growing international prominence, cautioning that it could experience a decline similar to that of reggae and dancehall in Jamaica.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, Azzay commended emerging artistes for their creativity and stated his willingness to collaborate with them, describing their sound as “trend-conscious, innovative, and highly skilled.”
He warned, however, that Afrobeats must continue to evolve in order to avoid stagnation. According to him, Jamaican artistes failed to sufficiently modernize reggae and dancehall, resulting in diminished global competitiveness.
Azzay urged continuous artistic development, international collaborations, and strategic management of the genre’s global footprint to ensure its long-term viability.
Regarding younger artistes who remake classic hits from earlier generations, Azzay said he considers such remakes an honor, provided they are undertaken with proper authorization and appropriate negotiation.#newsafro_
