Jamaica’s Bounty Hunter Says “Afrobeats Lacks Lyrics”; Cites Burna Boy Song As Example

Rodney Basil Price, better known by his stage name Bounty Killer, a Jamaican reggae and dancehall disc jockey, has expressed his opinions on the lyrical quality of Afrobeats as it continues to make enormous gains toward acceptance and recognition around the world. The seasoned Jamaican DJ shared his views on the flourishing Afrobeats genre.

In a recent interview, the seasoned entertainer discussed Dancehall, Afrobeats, and other fascinating issues about the two genres.

The DJ stated during the interview that the emergence of Afrobeats on the international stage does not signify the demise of Dancehall in the same context. The patois DJ claimed that Afrobeats lacked lyrics and included melodies and moods. Bounty used Burna Boy’s hit song “Ye” to prove the music lacks lyrical depth.

He stated:

Afrobeats have no lyrics; they have a lot of melody, grove, and topic. Ye ye ye is not a lyric; it is a topic. The song only has a style, melody and topic.”

The Jamaican OG continued criticizing the current dancehall artists, saying they are unwilling to include concrete subjects (themes) in their music. In a similar vein, Bounty asserted that the solidarity among African artists—which he claimed Jamaican artists sorely lack—is the reason why Afrobeats is developing at such a rapid rate.

The rise of the Afrobeat genre has increased interest in its artists as international collaborations with afrobeat stars are becoming common. In addition, the general acceptance of the genre has seen the focus shift back to Africa, and its music, as afrobeat tunes now perform wonderfully on charts.