How Do We Define a Music Genre?

 Tyla is not an Afrobeats artist.

Diamond Platnumz is not an Afrobeats artist.

Flavour is not an Afrobeats artist.

Fela is not an Afrobeats artist.

Yet these four are some of Africa’s biggest music exports.

So why aren’t they all Afrobeats?

Because Afrobeats is not defined by being African, it’s a distinct sound, not a continent-wide label.

There are different standalone genres of music in Africa that shouldn’t be lumped into one.

Let’s break it down — with facts, not sentiments.

And let me say this early: some of these key insights were raised by someone who thinks deeply about the African music industry — so this article carries real-life conversations, not just Google knowledge.

🎵 First — What Is a Music Genre and How Is It Classified?

A music genre is a category of music that shares common characteristics  like sound, rhythm, instruments, lyrics, structure, and cultural background.

It’s not just about where you’re from, but how your music sounds, what it represents, and what core elements keep repeating.

🧩 How Do We Define a Music Genre?

Genres are classified based on:

Rhythmic structure and beat

Instrumental pattern and production technique

Lyrical themes and language

Cultural or regional influence

Consistency across songs or projects

So when an artist repeatedly produces music with the same sonic DNA, a genre is either formed or identified.

🌍 What Is Afrobeats?

Afrobeats (with an “s”) is the modern West African pop sound that exploded from Nigeria and Ghana in the early 2000s and 2010s.

It’s heavily influenced by:

Highlife

Fuji

Hip-Hop

Reggae/Dancehall

R&B

Traditional percussion and street lingo

 Afrobeats, as we know it today, started rising in the early 2000s  driven by artists like 2Baba, D’banj, and P-Square before evolving through Wizkid, Burna Boy, and others.

The name “Afrobeats” was coined by UK-based DJs and promoters like DJ Abrantee in the early 2010s to label the growing wave of African pop music by artists like Wizkid, Davido, and Fuse ODG.

🧬 Notable Afrobeats Artists Include:

Wizkid – Afrobeats (heavily infused with Pop)

Davido – Afrobeats

Burna Boy – Afro-fusion (mostly Afrobeats with some Afrobeat)

Ckay – Afrobeats

Ayra Starr – Afrobeats

Rema – Afrobeats

These artists carry the rhythm, bounce, and style that define Afrobeats as a genre.

⚠️ So What Is Afrobeat (No “s”)?

This is the original genre created by Fela Anikulapo Kuti — a mix of:

Highlife

Jazz

Funk

Yoruba percussion

Political, conscious lyricism

But Fela wasn’t alone in this sound.

Artists like Lagbaja, Orlando Julius, and Fela’s sons (Femi and Seun Kuti) carried the Afrobeat torch with their own energy.

It’s long, raw, instrumental-heavy, and deeply political.

🧊 So What About Tyla, Diamond Platnumz & Flavour?

Tyla – Amapiano (South Africa)

Diamond Platnumz – Bongo Flava (Tanzania)

Flavour – Highlife / Igbo Pop ( with Afrobeats & Makossa elements)

They’re all African — but they are not Afrobeats artists.

🏆 Was Tyla’s Grammy Win Wrong?

No. She won Best African Music Performance, which is a broad category for African songs — not Afrobeats specifically.

The issue came when MTV nominated her under “Best Afrobeats Video” for “Water” — a full Amapiano song.

🚨 Why This Matters

Africa is NOT one sound.

We need to stop collapsing multiple genres into one just because they come from the same continent.

In fact, Afrobeats borrowed from many of these genres,it didn’t birth them.

Highlife predates Afrobeats

Fuji predates Afrobeats

Bongo Flava has been thriving for decades

Amapaino is the heartbeat of modern South African youth

Just because an Afrobeats artist infuses log drums or Igbo guitar riffs doesn’t mean Afrobeats has “absorbed” those genres.

It proves that African genres are rich, diverse, and connected but not interchangeable.

🎤 Ayra Starr vs Tyla – Genre Breakdown

Ayra Starr – “Rush”

→ Afrobeats

Nigerian rhythm, Pidgin lyrics, Afro-fusion bounce.

Tyla – “Water”

→ Amapiano

South African log drums, minimal lyrics, piano groove.

Both are queens.

But they don’t belong in the same genre box.

📉 Why the Confusion?

A big part of the confusion comes from streaming platforms and media.

Spotify and Apple Music lump multiple African genres under “Afrobeats” making it harder for casual fans to understand the difference.

Global media outlets also follow suit, labeling anything from Africa as “Afrobeats” — even when it’s not.

🎯 Final Thought

Calling every African song “Afrobeats” is not unity — it’s erasure.

Let Amapiano grow.

Let Highlife breathe.

Let Bongo Flava dominate East Africa.

Let Afrobeat continue its protest legacy.

Let Afrobeats own its West African pop lane.

What we should be asking is:

🗣️ “Why are global platforms so lazy with African genres?”

We don’t call every Latino song Reggaeton.

We don’t call every Black American song Rap.

So why do we treat African music this way?

The fans, also guilty of this mix-up?

Drop your thoughts.

Tag an artist.

Educate a fan.

Let’s protect our sound, and give each genre the credit it deserves.