Pastor Paul Enenche Says Afrobeats Promote Negative Values

The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Eneche, has criticised Afrobeats genre, claiming that the genre lacks lyrical substance.

Speaking during the church’s Mid-year Worship concert, Dr Enenche claimed that Afrobeats musicians sing “rubbish” and influence youths negatively.

He encouraged Gospel artists to continue to sing more songs that appeal to youths to counter what he described as the negative effect of Afrobeats on young people. 

“We will organise a youth fire night on the 25th of September. Prinx Emmanuel and other young music ministers here, clean your calendar for that date. 

“It is better to have music that is saying something that youth is hearing than the garbage that worldly musicians sing. 

“Most of those Afrobeats are just saying rubbish. Smoking Indian hemp while they are singing and influencing the youths in negative ways.

“By the time you have this positive replacement for such garbage, then your life can not follow such a direction. 

“And I trust that in time to come, more of this [energetic Gospel] music will be very word-loaded to disciple you, show you steps to take, how to stay away from negative friends, how to make the right decisions and so on,” he stated.

Afrobeat was created in late-60s Lagos by Fela Kuti, fusing local percussion, highlife, funk and jazz into long, hypnotic grooves with big bands, driving basslines, brass, and political pidgin vocals.

However, newer artists like 2Face, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, and have modernized it into the global music phenomenon it has become.

In Nigeria, revered clerics often speak unchallenged, and it is unlikely any of the popular musicians will respond to Enenche’s rhetoric besides the buzz his comments generated online.