Nigerian music icon Davido has clarified that his music style should be categorized as Afrofusion, distancing himself from the widely-used term Afrobeat.

Afrobeat, famously pioneered by Fela Kuti, has become a blanket term for African music in general, regardless of the specific genre or style.Davido expressed frustration at this labelling trend, noting that artists across various musical spectrums often get classified under Afrobeats, whether they lean towards R&B akin to SZA or Summer Walker, or rap styles reminiscent of Drake.

Many African musicians share this sentiment, feeling confined by the overarching categorization of Afrobeats regardless of their unique musical expressions.Notably, Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Fireboy had previously criticised this classification.

Speaking on the Business Untitled Podcast, Davido emphasised the global acceptance of African music, especially by the UK and later the US, which initially termed it Afrobeats.Despite the convenience of having a genre label, Davido stressed that his music, which he terms Afrofusion, encapsulates a blend of influences that extend beyond a singular genre.

“The first place that accepted African music outside Africa was the UK before America later joined. The UK termed African music Afrobeats. I don’t get offended when we’ve been categorised as Afrobeats. I mean, we need a genre.“It could be R&B or Afropop. I call my music Afrofusion but I’m not big on ‘O put Afrofusion on my song.’ I know how long it took for African music to become mainstream,” Davido stated.His stance reflects a broader conversation within the African music industry about the need for nuanced genre distinctions to better represent the diverse musical landscape.