Regardless of the individual style that exists within each artist, music is a highly competitive sport. You can hardly have two dominant captains on a team. One has to be loud, while the other is subdued. Or can you imagine seeing Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan playing together? Perhaps Patrick Viera and Roy Keane each share the skipper band? Well, I don’t. Friction is bound to occur. Don’t ask me why — it’s just Physics. And it’s not any different for musicians.
The Afrobeats scene has had its fair share of artists going at loggerheads. Hardly would you see two artists who want to share the spotlight. It’s lonely at the top, and many want to keep it this way. Thus, we have seen a couple of spats in the past, Twitter fingering, and full-on diss songs rock the airplay. What we haven’t seen, however, is some artists go the full 8-mile after it seemed like they would.
This article highlights the top five beefs that never happened in the Afrobeats scene in recent history. The list has been condensed to events from 2010 upwards.
YBNL vs MAVIN
Who can ever forget the 2015 Headies drama when Reekado Banks won the ‘Next Rated’ award over fan-favourite Lil Kesh? When Olamide gave an expletive impassioned speech and literally dropped the mic as he bounced off the stage to the admiration of his goons. And then Don Jazzy in his mafioso swag dropped his comeback and had Di’Ja bouncing from side to side like a contented child. The streets needed an Avengers vs Justice League-esque match up there and then between both camps. A label diss or full-length album wasn’t too much to ask for from two of the continent’s most successful rosters, no? But what did we get? Nothing but a miss-it-if-you-blink- moment.
Fireboy DML vs Rema
Like fathers, like sons. The next duo on this list are direct descendants from the YBNL and Mavin pipeline of talents. Fireboy and Rema, two defining voices of their generations, are also proteges of Olamide and Don Jazzy respectively. Since 2019 when they both shot into the limelight, they have been pitted against each other by all and sundry. From the media, the fans, award shows, and everything else in between. Surprisingly, they haven’t given in to their dark sides. Quite impressive, considering the precedent set by the previous generation. In an interview, Fireboy shed more light on why he isn’t interested in feuding with Rema.
Omah Lay vs Victony
Forget the sad boy aesthetic for a minute, or the silent don who walks ever so assuredly with the cane. Omah Lay and Victony once had a public spat on X. Victony sarcastically challenged Omah Lay’s claim to be the best songwriter, and the latter didn’t take kindly to it. In an alternate universe, we should have seen both artists pen down scathing disses over ungodly beats. But neither did, and the culture was robbed of what could have been a fun experience in songwriting. Too bad.
BNXN vs Ruger
Sometime in 2022, BNXN and Ruger had a back-and-forth on social media. This happened when the latter allegedly shaded the former due to a tweet by a fan about who was ‘better’ between both parties. The duo exchanged more words; broke-shaming and body-shaming each other in the process. In an interview by a local radio station, BNXN expressed shock at the unexpected attack claiming that the whole industry was fake. In early 2024, they teamed up and dropped a joint EP titled ‘R&B.’ This signaled an anti-climatic end to a two-year battle. But at least, we got some music out of it. So, that’s still a W in my books.
Olamide vs Other Rappers
While he has rebranded into something akin to a god-fearing gangster, Olamide used to be a hands-on menace. Many tried to pit him against Phyno from day one, but that never worked out. Instead, they released a joint project that produced the hit Ladi. Next, after Local Rappers dropped, it was alleged that some English-speaking rappers were offended. Some even went as far as saying that it was directed at M.I. and Modenine, but nothing came out of that rumor. Then, on Eyan Mayweather, Olamide again went scorched earth. He displayed his lyrical ability, boasting about being the top-selling rapper and calling himself ‘the best.’ Nobody replied again. A rap beef between Olamide and any rapper would have been marvellous as a neutral, but that never materialized. No wam.
Beef is a staple of popular music, and Afrobeats has had artists have a go at each other. More often than not, it has always stayed in the music and never turned into a full-on war. It has also led to the release of some classic tunes. So, what’s not to like? Perhaps, more artists should have gone down that road — put it on wax and not just social media. But, that’s just me though. I’m not a man of peace.
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