Tekno has sparked a fresh debate after claiming that the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti gets too much credit for the origins of Afrobeats.
The Nigerian singer believes the story is bigger than one man, even if that man is Fela.
During a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, Tekno pointed to the late Oliver De Coque and other Nigerian music legends whose contributions, in his view, have been largely overlooked.
Fela is not the originator of Afrobeats. Lagos people and the Yorubas might say he is the one, but I am from the East, and we had legends like Oliver De Coque.
For Tekno, the argument is personal.
He grew up listening to Fela and makes no attempt to downplay the late music icon’s influence. In fact, he revealed that his song “Rara” drew heavily from Fela’s music. But there was another sound playing at home.
His father regularly played Oliver De Coque, exposing him to the late highlife legend and other musicians from eastern Nigeria.
That is why Tekno believes some names have been left out when conversations turn to the roots of Afrobeats.
Fela, he acknowledged, took Afrobeat to the world. However, Tekno believes other musicians helped shape the sounds that came before and alongside it.
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.