Afrobeats Is Mainly For Yorubas, I Had To Break In – Omah Lay 

Nigerian singer Omah Lay has stirred reactions online after sharing his view about the structure of the Afrobeats music scene in Nigeria.

Abia Radio News reports that the music star said the Afrobeats genre is largely controlled from Lagos and that many of the leading figures in the industry come from the Yoruba ethnic group.

According to him, this situation makes it harder for artistes from other parts of the country to gain recognition in the Lagos-based music space.

Omah Lay, who is from Port Harcourt in Rivers State, explained that building a career in the Lagos music environment was not easy for him.

He said he had to struggle for a long time before he could find his place in the industry, adding that the process sometimes became very tiring.

The singer made the remarks during a listening event for his upcoming album titled Clarity Of Mind.

At the event, he spoke about his journey in the music industry and the pressure that comes with trying to meet expectations from fans and people within the music business.

He said the Afrobeats sound grew from Lagos and was strongly shaped by the legacy of legendary musician Fela Kuti, who is widely known as one of the pioneers of the genre and a Yoruba man.

“Afrobeats is mainly Lagos. It is mainly Yorubas. Fela Kuti is the pioneer, we all know that and he is Yoruba. I am from Port Harcourt and you have to break into Lagos. There are only two people from PH that you know; Burna Boy and me.

“It got to a point I am like, you know what? I am going to take my time and look at my family and fans; people who really love me, I am going to stay there. The rest of you, the rest of the world, don’t love me. F**k off. That is it,” he said.