Lil Duval Says Afrobeats Could Be “The Death Of Hip-Hop As We Know It”

Lil Duval is back with yet another Hip-Hop hot take, and this time he’s declaring that the genre will evolve, or die, due to Afrobeats. On Sunday (Feb. 19), the comedian hit Twitter with some new opinions to share about the state of Hip-Hop, expressing that the genre will change due to Afrobeats’ growing popularity.

“Afrobeats might be the death of Hip-Hop as we know it,” Duval began, before clarifying that his sentiments weren’t a diss. “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 [know] how some took offense.”

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He then concluded his sentiments on a comical note tweeting, “[Tems] fine af.”

The “Smile (Living My Best Life)” crooner’s comments regarding Hip-Hop arrives a month after he claimed that the genre was becoming more podcast-centric.

“Seem like hip hop has become more about podcasting instead of music now,” the artist typed on Feb. 2, with many users seeming to agree. “The conversations just better than the music. 90% of the songs are made in 15 minutes with no thought put into it. Microwave raps,” one Twitter user said.

Verge reports that podcasting is estimated to become a $4 billion industry by 2024. The primary catalyst for this is an astronomical increase in advertising dollars spent to reach target demographics. But the growing funds also fuel an increase in a crowded marketplace, with more figures trying their hands at the speaking medium.

“You know what’s crazy? I’m looking at these rappers trying shows now, rappers from our era” N.O.R.E said in an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, speaking to the influx of podcasters in the culture. “And they are so failing. They doing sports shows, they doing comedy shows … They talkin’ about, ‘Yo, I’m up. I’m just doing this for fun.’ No you are not!”

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