M.anifest Challenges The ‘Afro’ Label And Calls For More Creative Freedom

Story By: Zainab Ali

Ghanaian rapper M.anifest has sparked a fresh conversation about how African music is labelled, questioning the growing practice of attaching the word “Afro” to almost every new genre or musical style coming from the continent.

Speaking on the African Imagery Podcast, the rapper, born Kwame Ametepe Tsikata, said African musicians are capable of creating completely new musical forms instead of constantly placing new sounds under variations of the “Afro” label.

M.anifest argued that African creativity should not be restricted by established naming conventions. He pointed to the continent’s history of musical innovation and said artists should have the freedom to allow new genres to develop their own identities.

His comments come against the background of the global popularity of terms such as Afrobeats, Afropop and Afrofusion. These labels have helped African music become easier to identify in international markets, but M.anifest believes the continued expansion of the “Afro” prefix could also limit how people understand the diversity of African music.

The rapper also pointed to Ghanaian musician Kofi Ghanaba, who used the term Afro-Jazz to describe his musical style decades ago. MyJoyOnline’s report notes that the broader use of terms such as Afro-pop and Afrobeats later became part of the international marketing and description of African popular music.

M.anifest’s comments have therefore reopened an interesting question for the music industry: as African musicians continue experimenting with different sounds, should every new style automatically be placed under an existing “Afro” category?

For an industry increasingly reaching global audiences, the debate touches on more than terminology. It also raises questions about originality, cultural identity and how African music should be presented to the world.