RZA Disagrees That Afrobeats & Podcasts Are Killing Hip Hop

RZA has dismissed the idea that the popularity of Afrobeats and the growing number of podcasting platforms somehow pose a threat to Hip Hop.

The comment came after Lil Duval sparked a debate over the weekend, following the NBA All-Star Game’s all-Afrobeats halftime show — which featured performances by Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Tems and Rema. The comedian took to Twitter on Sunday (February 19) to share his thoughts in a series of posts.

“Afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it,” read Duval’s principal tweet – which was met with a lot pushback. Asked his opinion about the comment, RZA said that he simply saw the genre as an extension of urban American music.

“Afrobeat is Hip Hop,” the legendary producer told TMZ. “They basically are doing their form of Hip Hop. Just like Trap was Hip Hop, just like G-Funk was Hip Hop, it’s just their rendition. And you know what: they deserve a chance, just like the rest of us deserve a chance, of our music to be heard around the world, inspire and feed families.”

Lil Duval had immediately added to his original thought on Sunday, with words in defense of Afrobeats.

“I wasn’t saying hip hop is over i said ‘hip hop as we know it’,” he explained, “meaning like evolved into something bigger,” he clarified. “Meaning giving afrobeats props. I don’t [know] how some took offense.”

Earlier this month, Duval had similarly stated that he felt like podcasting was more relevant than music to the Hip Hop community. RZA also waved off that comment, remarking that regardless of how else rappers may be expanding on their careers, the music itself will always remain vital.

“Nah, I think those people are on a different planet than us,” the Wu-Tang Clan founder said of fans who place podcast content over music. “Joe [Budden] is being successful, NORE’s being successful; they deserve their success. But at the same time, we just did the N.Y. State Of Mind tour – no algorithms, not streaming – sold out in so many places. Hip Hop is embedded within this culture and nothing’s gonna stop that. It’s just gonna continue to grow and find other outlets.”

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The tour in question saw the Wu join forces with Nas in late August 2022 for a co-headlining trek across North America. They kicked off their run in Maryland Heights, Missouri, where they were joined by fellow New York giant Busta Rhymes, who had been announced as the tour’s special guest just a few days prior.

The 25-date N.Y. State Of Mind Tour also swung through cities including Toronto, Atlanta and Houston and before wrapping up in Los Angeles on October 4.

Just ahead of the tour’s final date, Wu-Tang and Nas took fans behind the scenes with a mini-documentary. The eight-minute film captures members of the Wu explaining the inspiration behind the run and reflecting on their respective paths to the top of the Hip Hop mountain while sharpening their sets.