American rapper Fat Joe has stirred controversy by claiming that Afrobeats originated from Jamaica.
The veteran hip hop star made the remark on a recent episode of his “Joe and Jada” podcast while hosting Jamaican dancehall legend Buju Banton. “Jamaica started Afrobeats. Even though everything comes from Africa,” Fat Joe declared during the conversation.
Buju Banton did not directly challenge the statement. Instead, he steered the discussion towards the roots of reggaeton, crediting Panamanian rapper El General as a pioneer whose work helped shape the genre and influence others.
However, Afrobeats is widely recognised as a sound that emerged from West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. The genre draws heavily from Afrobeat, the revolutionary music style created in the 1970s by Nigerian icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti, while blending highlife, hip hop, R&B and other global influences.
Fat Joe’s comment has triggered a strong backlash on social media. Many users accused him of rewriting history and downplaying the distinctly African origins of Afrobeats, which has grown into one of the world’s most influential pop genres.
The row comes on the back of earlier criticism of Afrobeats from Buju Banton himself. In a 2024 appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast, the dancehall star accused Afrobeats artists of borrowing heavily from reggae and dancehall without giving proper credit.
He also described Afrobeats as lacking substance and predicted that the genre would eventually fade away, comments that sparked heated debate between Caribbean and African music fans at the time.
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