American rapper Fat Joe has sparked debate after claiming that Afrobeats originated in Jamaica during a recent episode of the Joe And Jada podcast, which featured Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton as a guest. “Jamaica started Afrobeats. Even though everything comes from Africa,” Joe stated, without providing further explanation.
Banton, who was present during the discussion, did not correct the assertion. Instead, he shifted focus to the origins of reggaeton, crediting Panamanian artist El General for pioneering the genre and highlighting its influence on other musical styles.
The claim contradicts the widely accepted view that Afrobeats emerged from West Africa, drawing heavily on Afrobeatā€”a genre pioneered by Nigerian music legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in the 1970s. Afrobeats, as it is known today, blends traditional African rhythms with contemporary sounds such as hip-hop, dancehall, and R&B, and has gained global popularity over the past two decades.
This is not the first time Banton has commented on the relationship between Jamaican music and Afrobeats. In a 2024 interview with the Drink Champs podcast, he accused Afrobeats artists of borrowing from Jamaican reggae and dancehall without proper acknowledgment. He also suggested that Afrobeats lacks depth and predicted its eventual decline.
The remarks have reignited conversations about the cultural exchange and influence between African and Caribbean music, as well as the importance of accurately crediting the origins of global musical movements.
