Omah Lay, the Grammy-nominated singer, has declared himself the “greatest Afrobeats artiste of the decade” — but with a caveat.
In a recent chat with Capital Xtra, the 28-year-old ‘Understand’ hitmaker doubled down on his claim, insisting that his supremacy lies strictly in the quality of his artistry, not in streaming figures or popularity.
“I am the greatest Afrobeats artiste of the decade. I am the greatest,” he said.
He clarified, however, that the metrics typically used to crown music royalty — numbers, personality, and level of fame — might tell a different story.
“Well, you can say numbers, and personality, and the level of fame, and stardom, maybe you would not consider me. When it comes to the art itself, I am the greatest.”
This is far from the first time the Port Harcourt-born singer has made such a claim. He has previously asserted that he is “Nigeria’s best artiste of the last 20 years”.
Aside from Omah Lay, five other singers had also declared themselves “Afrobeats best”.
Born Stanley Omah Didia, the singer began his career at 15 as a behind-the-scenes producer before breaking through in 2020 with the viral hits ‘You’ and ‘Bad Influence’.
His signature blend of Afro-fusion and vulnerable lyricism has since earned him a devoted global following.
Omah Lay received a nomination at the 2026 Grammys in the Best African Music Performance category for ‘With You,’ his collaboration with Davido.
They, however, lost out to South Africa’s Tyla.
