Buju Banton, Afrobeats, and the Myth of Betrayal

 Why Nigerian music didn't abandon reggae's roots—it just grew its own

I watched Buju Banton’s comment on Afrobeats, in which he criticized the genre for its focus on money and mundane things. The video triggered a series of profound thoughts in me. In the end, I concluded that it is wrong to feel that Afrobeats betrayed Jamaican reggae’s ideology of promoting freedom, social justice and, ultimately, the dignity of Africa.

However, I think that his conclusion was somewhat hasty, even though, as one of the artists guided by that ideology, he is bound to feel betrayed.

Afrobeats rose naturally. There was no conference where attendees decided on a new genre and the trajectory it was supposed to take. Afrobeats was shaped like any other genre—by the circumstances of the locality where it was born. It is an exposition of the lifestyle of the people who founded it. On the other hand, reggae ideology is often summed up in the word “consciousness,” which refers to awareness of the issues to which freedom is entwined.

In addition to recalling the dynamics that shaped the coloration of a genre, Afrobeats reflects a reggae influence. In classical terms, the biggest name in Nigerian contemporary music is Tuface. His greatest song—the one that made him popular—is titled "African Queen." By the title alone, it is a song that promotes the dignity of Africa. In the song, he uses a Jamaican slang, tingalingalin. This is why some Jamaicans don’t even know that he isn’t one of them. Tuface himself insists that his songs lean toward the reggae side. He was part of a trio called the Plantashun Boyz. Eventually, the other two members took a reggae trajectory that was even more mainstream than Tuface’s. Unfortunately, they never enjoyed Tuface’s level of success.

Other Nigerian artists with Jamaican influences in their music include Timaya and Patoranking, who both sing dancehall. In Uganda, for instance, many music fans don’t even know that Timaya is Nigerian. Millions of fans there actually believe he is Jamaican. In Patoranking’s case, even his name reflects Jamaican dancehall colouration, inspired by Shabba Ranks, Cutty Ranks, and others. His music is also dancehall in character, with examples like "Suh Different" and "Girlie O." Timaya made history by becoming the first African artist to perform at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 2017.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate that the character of a genre is influenced spontaneously and will always reflect issues from the locality in which it was invented. Even though Nigerian artists may not have fully embraced the ideology of roots reggae, they have ended up mirroring Jamaican musical influence in Afrobeats. Therefore, claiming that Jamaican reggae was betrayed or ostracized is taking it too far.