ID Cabasa is ringing the alarm over what he sees as the slow dilution of Afrobeats. The veteran Nigerian producer believes R&B has crept into the genre so much that Afrobeats is starting to lose its identity.
Appearing on Channels TV’s Rubbin’ Minds, ID Cabasa said that while global interest in Afrobeats is helping production standards, it’s also bringing unwanted changes. “There’s a good part to the attention Afrobeats is getting from the West. Many young Nigerian producers are learning new sounds and improving production quality. But the impact of international influence on our cultural identity is a concern we can’t ignore.”
He warned that many songs tagged as Afrobeats today feel more like R&B tracks, especially in vocal style and production. “The West is now sounding more like Afrobeats, while we’re sounding more like R&B. That’s the real concern. It’s scary. I almost think we’ve already lost part of it.”
Cabasa also spoke on how some Afrobeats stars are moving abroad and operating in foreign currencies, slowly disconnecting from the core of the genre. His solution? A return to the classics. “That’s why I keep doing what I’m doing, reimagining classics to remind this new generation of artistes not to lose themselves. Don’t abandon who you are just to fit in.”
Inspired by a conversation with Olamide, Cabasa has reimagined songs like Olufunmi by Styl-Plus and Photocopy by 9ice. “We talked about how people abroad are trying to hijack the Afrobeats narrative… That’s when Olamide said, ‘Maybe we should bring back the sounds that shaped this thing.’ That idea resonated with me.”
He praised Tems for reviving Seyi Sodimu’s Love Me Jeje. “Tems winning with ‘Love Me Jeje’ (originally by Seyi Sodimu in 1999) that’s cultural. It’s storytelling. Sampling brings familiarity and emotional connection. Instead of sampling foreign music, why not revive our rich catalogue?”
Cabasa’s words come at a time when stars like Burna Boy, Rema, and Joeboy are also embracing nostalgic sounds. For him, it’s a reminder: Afrobeats can go global without losing its soul.
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