Veteran Nigerian rapper Ruggedman has never been one to bite his tongue, and his latest interview with YBits is proof. At Ambassador Wahala’s Pensioner comedy show held at the Transcorp Hilton, the man also known as Ruggedy Baba didn’t just show up to support a friend—he showed up with fire in his mouth, and by the time he was done, the entire Afrobeats conversation was left smoking. It was also his birthday, September 20th, and instead of just soaking in the love, Ruggedman used the moment to drop a bombshell that is already sending shockwaves through the industry: “Afro beats is a genre of music that a lot of talentless Nigerians hide behind.”

According to him, the problem isn’t the genre itself but the lack of depth. “The only thing I’ll say is missing is the same thing I always say all the time—depth,” he said. “Right now, we have too many people going into music as a means to survive, which is not a bad thing, but if that’s the only reason, that’s when it’s a problem because they will do almost anything and call it music.” For Ruggedman, too many artists are getting away with repeating a popular street phrase over a beat and calling it a song. “Get a popular street phrase, get a producer who can giggle [create] a better beat, and then repeat that catchy phrase over and over—maybe say it like 15 times—and then say some lines in between as a verse. That’s it,” he said. “Most of them, I don’t even know how to categorise them—if they are rapping, singing, talking, or chanting. If you remove the beat, all you hear is chanting.”

And he didn’t stop there. He threw a challenge at the artists who he says are hiding behind the beat: “Put them on the stage with a live band. Let them sing live. Oh, you go fear fear.” Ouch.

But before you think Ruggedman is just throwing stones from a glass house, he made it clear that his criticism is not aimed at everyone. When the conversation turned to the Big Three—Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy—he drew a sharp line. “No, no, no, they don’t fall under that,” he said. “They’re good. They make music, and they’re not Gen Z’s really. They’ve been doing music for a long time. So they don’t fall under that Afrobeat [criticism].” He even noted that Wizkid and Burna Boy have said in the past that they don’t consider themselves Afrobeats artists, a point that adds another layer to the never-ending debate about what the genre really is.

Then came the moment everyone will be talking about. When asked which of the Big Three he would pick for a collab among Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido, Ruggedman said he would rather just do a song with all three. “Any of them you do a track with, it will move—it’s a hit.”

Ruggedman also spoke about why he showed up for Ambassador Wahala’s Pensioner show. “I came up in an era of loyalty and respect and standing by your words. So that’s why I’m here,” he said. And while he was there, he made sure to plug his new perfume line, “20 by Rugged Man,” which he launched on his birthday. “Check it on my Instagram from next week. We’re pushing. That’s what I’m wearing right now. And it smells nice,” he said.