'Stop forsaking afrobeats for amapiano', Rema advises colleagues.
Divine Ikubor, nicknamed Rema, a popular musician, has emphasized the need of Nigerian artists preserving afrobeats culture in order for the country to remain dominant in the African music industry.
According to TalkTalk Nigeria, the South African genre amapiano has heavily influenced the Nigerian music business in recent years.
In an interview with Apple Music, Rema acknowledged that amapiano is a great genre, but emphasized that Nigerian artists must preserve afrobeats' presence on the continent.
He stated that his recently released sophomore album, 'HeIs,' was strongly influenced by afrobeat luminaries such as Don Jazzy and the Mo'hits crew, 2Baba, Olamide, P-Square, and Timaya.
"I had to go back [to create my new record]. Mo'hits was a big source of inspiration for me. When a Mo'hits' song comes on, you know it's a Mo'hits' song within the first four seconds. "Don Jazzy just goes crazy on the beat," he explained.
"Olamide used to drop insane songs, and he still does. You still recognize Olamide songs when they come on. P-Square, 2Face, or Timaya. There were occasions when the beat...
"Amapiano is fantastic; it is on fire, but there was a moment when Afrobeats production was so ridiculous that nothing could survive in African clubs. I'm not saying we've lost it; I'm simply saying we need more of it. I don't want us to get too far away from that. We must sustain it."