Afrobeats singer Bella Shmurda has cautioned Nigerian artistes against lavish spending, warning that it is affecting their ability to independently fund their music careers.
Speaking on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, the ‘Cash App’ singer said many artists become financially dependent on record labels due to poor financial decisions, especially spending heavily on material possessions like expensive jewelry and luxury cars.
Shmurda admitted he also made similar mistakes earlier in his career but has since learned from them.
“I don’t think packaging has to be materialistic,” he said. “Having good clothes, looking nice, smelling good—that’s enough. You don’t need chains to look clean or presentable. Simplicity is also a form of branding.”
He stressed that an overemphasis on image leads young artists to accept label advances, resulting in long-term debt and loss of control over their music catalogues.
“They can’t even fund their next project because they use their money to buy big cars,” he said. “We just have to educate ourselves about these things.”
