American rapper Fat Joe has sparked controversy after claiming that Afrobeats originated from Jamaica.
The rapper made the statement 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,” he claimed.
During the discussion, Banton did not directly challenge the claim, instead speaking about how Panamanian rapper El General influenced the development of reggaeton and other related genres.
However, Afrobeats is widely recognised as originating from West Africa, with strong influence from Afrobeat pioneered by Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti.
In the past, Buju Banton has also criticised Afrobeats artists, accusing them of borrowing heavily from Jamaican reggae and dancehall without proper credit. In a 2024 appearance on the Drink Champs podcast, he described Afrobeats as lacking substance and predicted it would fade over time.
