Veteran rapper Michael Ugochukwu Steven, aka Ruggedman, has said Nigerian music nowadays rarely passes any meaningful message.

He said Afrobeats singers focused more on beats than lyrical content.

Rugged D’Baba, as he is fondly called, in a recent interview with Hip TV, charged the new crop of Nigerian artistes to include consciousness in music.

He said: “Everybody can’t do the same thing. Everybody can’t have the same mindset. So, that’s where inspiration comes in. People who are conscious, who want to do conscious music, who want to pass messages in the music, it’s now left to them to try to inspire those who are all about dancing to beats.

“Afrobeats is global right now. We have millions of people, including non-Nigerians, who are listening to Nigerian music right now. So, imagine if artists who are being listened to worldwide now decide to do conscious music and use their platforms to preach peace, creativity, and positivity. That means millions of people would hear you.

“I hope the likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Rema, you know, even while they are doing the dancing, Amapiano, and having fun, I just pray it hits them a little to realise the power they wield with the positions they are in right now and they include some consciousness into their music.”