By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Nigerian on-air personality Do2dtun has criticized South African singer Tyla for her acceptance speech at the VMA’s after winning the Best Afrobeats Award.
Tyla had used her speech to highlight the diversity of African music, stating that African music is more than just Afrobeats and that she represents Amapiano, a different genre.
Do2dtun took issue with Tyla’s comments and accused her of being hypocritical for accepting an award for a genre she doesn’t identify with.
He argued that if she felt strongly about the categorization, she should have declined the nomination or returned the award.
Do2dtun also expressed his frustration with what he sees as the misrepresentation of African music genres, particularly the addition of an “s” to Afrobeats, which he believes was done to satisfy external interests.
He emphasized the importance of allowing the originators of a genre to educate others about it, rather than relying on external definitions.
He further criticized Tyla’s win, stating that it was a mistake and that Afrobeats was only created for financial gain. He concluded by saying that true artists should be allowed to define their own genres, rather than having them defined by others.
