Rapper and singer, Zlatan Ibile has expressed deep concern about the emergence of influencer culture and its impacts on the Nigerian entertainment industry.
The singer lamented that music-making is no longer exclusive to professional musicians but anyone with considerable social media influence, including skitmakers, pranksters, TikTokers, and content creators.
“It used to be that artists were the celebrities, but now TikTokers, influencers, and content creators are celebrities. That is why you can see an influencer or skit maker drop a song and it blows up,” Zlatan stated in an episode of the Afrobeats podcast hosted by Shopsydoo.
The rapper noted that the development has undoubtedly affected the quality of music.
Singer Kcee recently expressed similar concerns, claiming that the rise of social media influencers has affected the organic nature of music, streams, and charts.
The Limpopo crooner argued that while influencer culture has some benefits, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.