Distinguished Wu-Tang Clan member The RZA believes Afrobeat and podcasting outlets are important to Hip Hop culture, despite Lil Duval’s recent claims they are ruining the genre.
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In a recent interview, the four-time Grammy-nominated MC responded to a pair of recent tweets authored by the Florida comedian that appear to negatively reflect on afrobeat music and podcasts. More specifically, Duval tweeted, “afrobeats might be the death of hip hop as we know it,” on February 19 following halftime show performances during the NBA All-Star game from popular artists such as Burna Boy, Tems and Rema. Additionally, earlier this month on February 2, Duval tweeted another critical remark, writing, “Seem like hip hop has become more about podcasting instead of music now.” While signing autographs for fans, The RZA told TMZ Hip Hop his opinion on Duval’s claims, explaining his belief that Afrobeat is a form of Hip Hop just like other subgenres.
“Afrobeat is Hip Hop beat,” RZA said in part. “I mean they basically are doing their form of Hip Hop just like trap is Hip Hop, just like G-Funk was Hip Hop, it’s just their edition. And you know what, they deserve a chance, just like the rest of us deserve the chance for our music to be heard around the world, inspire and feed families.”
In another statement, RZA praised rappers-turned-podcast-hosts Joe Budden and N.O.R.E. for their newfound “success,” while also firmly detailing his belief that real Hip Hop is still alive and well and.
“Joe [Budden] is being successful N.O.R.E, he’s being successful they deserve that success — but at the same time right, we just did the New York State of Mind tour no algorithms no streaming [sold out Hollywood Bowl] and so many places,” RZA said.
He added, firmly declaring that Hip Hop is only going to “grow,” as time goes on.
“Hip Hop is embedded within this culture and nothing’s going to stop that it’s only going to continue to grow and find other outlets and avenues,” RZA said.
Lil Duval sparked a global debate by declaring Afrobeats would put the nail in hip hop's coffin — but RZA, one of the guys who helped put rap on the worldwide map, completely disagrees with the controversial comedian. https://t.co/R9rclFdHFf
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 22, 2023
While RZA responded to Duval’s tweets on February 22, it appears the “Smile (Living My Best Life)” vocalist actually clarified his statements on Twitter two days earlier. In a tweet quoting his original remarks, Duval explained that he was actually giving props to the afrobeat genre, seemingly after receiving backlash for his initial statement.
“I wasn’t saying hip hop is over i said “hip hop as we know it” meaning like evolved into something bigger. Meaning giving afrobeats props. I don’t how some took offense,” Duval wrote in the tweet.
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If anyone is an authority figure in Hip Hop, the “Bring Da Rucus” rapper certainly has the accolades for it. In 2017, The RZA made history after becoming the first Hip Hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The New York native has released eight studio albums, amassed over 40 production credits and accumulated four platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America throughout his decades-long career.
Watch the full video featuring The RZA’s response to Lil Duval’s tweets below.