Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, who is professionally known as Patoranking, has expressed his disappointment towards Burna Boy for claiming Afrobeat has no substance.
Patoranking has taken up the issue with the Grammy’s Award winner, Burna Boy’s recent statement labelling Afrobeat as a genre that lacks substance.
During an interview recently, Patoranking disagrees with Burna Boy’s statement of Afrobeat analyses, claiming that it is wrong to dismiss the genre in such a manner.
He said:
“Even though being an ambassador of the culture, I don’t think it is something that should have been said by him (Burna Boy). It’s a culture that we have to preserve. Our biggest problem is going to be the “I did it” route. Stating; “I… I… I…” that may be the downfall of the genre because there’s strength in numbers. If you say “We…”, that’s good. The minute it is “I… I… I”, then there’s a problem. I find that (statement) is completely untrue but like I said before, he’s entitled to his own opinion. It depends on what you view as substance”
“…If you bring it to music, everyone has a role to play, you just have to understand that this is a building phase. It’s going to be bigger than this but, the only way is if we all play our roles. That’s the best way I can explain things so that everyone can understand.”
