Nigerian singer and songwriter, Darey Art-Alade, is has urged Afrobeats musicians to be cautious about being used and dumped as the genre is enjoying prominence globally.
Darey spoke in an interview published on Saturday, adding that Nigerian creatives should attract foreign investments with the attention they are enjoying at the moment.
He said he is happy that Afrobeats is being appreciated around the world, but also concerned that foreigners may exploit the current wave.
The ‘Not the Girl’ hit-maker emphasised the need for entertainers to invest back home in infrastructure and the numerous talents.
He said; “The growth of afrobeats right now is incredible. It is a fantastic time to be alive. I am really happy and proud, but I am also concerned, because if we are not careful, they will use and dump us. We have to come back home, and invest in our people and infrastructure.
“We have to use the attention we are enjoying right now to attract foreign investments, and build things that will outlive this current generation. It is not just about the hype we are getting right now; we can build a pipeline where creatives can be churned out and equipped with the right resources. For this hype not be a flash in the pan, we have to sustain it and keep feeding the world with our infectious energy.”
Meanwhile, in another news…
Big Brother Naija star and radio presenter, Tacha, has cleared the air on why she addressed popular rappers, Odumodublvck, Blaqbonez and Seyi Vibez as up-and-coming artistes.
CorrectNG recalls that during an episode of her Big Friday programme on Cool FM, Tacha asked CDQ to name some of the rising artistes making waves that he likes.
The Hip Hop artiste mentioned Majeed and Badboy Timz, but Tacha tried to remind him by calling Blaqbonez, Odumodu and a few others.
The reality TV star, however, faced backlash on social media for her opinion, so she decided to defend herself in a new video response.
She explained in the trending clip that referring to the trio as “upcoming artistes” was not in any way condescending.
Tacha said, “An episode from the Big Friday Show has gone viral and there’s no amount of insult I’ve not gotten. Everybody is saying, ‘Tacha called Blaqbonez an upcoming artiste. Tacha called Odumodublvck an upcoming artiste.’
“If I called them upcoming artistes, tell me, what is wrong with using the term upcoming artistes? I rushed to Google to see the meaning of the term upcoming musician: ‘Upcoming musicians are those singers that are no longer new because they have been around for some time and promising to make it big.’
“Now, how is me calling Blaqbonez an upcoming artiste me putting him down or being condescending? Blaqbonez is my guy, Odumodu is my guy, Shallipopi…”