Tekno sets tongues wagging after claiming Fela didn’t originate Afrobeats

​Tekno added that while “Lagos people” and the Yoruba might say Fela pioneered Afrobeats, he differs because he is from the South-East.

​By Kehinde Okeowo

​Nigerian music star and songwriter Augustine Miles Kelechi, better known as Tekno, has set the internet buzzing after saying the legendary late music maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, did not pioneer the Afrobeats genre.

​He made this known recently while appearing as a guest on a radio programme on Hot 97 FM in New York, United States.

​According to Tekno, apart from Fela, there are many other music legends who contributed to the evolution of Afrobeats as much as he did.

​He went on to assert that the singer-turned-activist only took “all the credit” because he was more travelled and “opportune” than his contemporaries.

​While acknowledging that Fela heavily inspired his song ‘Rara’ and contributed immensely to the genre, he insisted that other artists deserved some credit.

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​Speaking during the interview, Tekno said: “Fela is not the originator of Afrobeats. Lagos people and the Yoruba might say he is the one, but I am from the East, and we had legends like Oliver De Coque. Oliver De Coque made pure highlife music. Highlife is also Afrobeats.

​”My song ‘Rara’ is heavily inspired by Fela because I heard his music while growing up. He is a legend. He was the one who took Afrobeat international. But there are other people that we listen to. In the East, we had some legends who sang some type of music that, if you heard today, you wouldn’t believe was made in those times.

​”I feel like these legends deserved more recognition. I would say I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque and his peers from the East. My dad used to play his music a lot.

​”Fela gets all the credit because he travelled and performed with his band around the world. To some people, he is the originator of Afrobeats, but to me, there are a bunch of them—legends that no one speaks about.”

​After the interview found its way online, it elicited mixed reactions from Nigerian and other music fans who reacted to his claims.

​While some netizens agreed with him, saying it is a controversial topic, others berated him for comparing Fela to other veteran Afrobeats singers.