By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Nigerian singer, Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has stated that the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, earned widespread recognition largely because he travelled and performed with his band around the world, insisting that several other legends who contributed to the genre remain largely unacknowledged.
“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 other legends that no one speaks about,” Tekno said.
The singer made this known during a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, where he stirred controversy with his claim that Fela was not the sole originator of Afrobeats as widely believed, arguing that several music legends contributed significantly to the development of the genre.
Tekno specifically cited highlife musician, Oliver De Coque, as one of the artistes whose contributions were also instrumental to the evolution of the sound, explaining that highlife music equally falls under the broader Afrobeats umbrella.
“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. Oliver De Coque made pure highlife music. Highlife is also Afrobeats,” he said.
He explained that he personally drew more inspiration from Oliver De Coque and his peers from the East, revealing that his father used to play their music frequently while he was growing up.
“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,” Tekno added.
The singer, however, acknowledged that his hit song, “Rara,” was heavily inspired by Fela, having grown up listening to the legend’s music, describing him as the artiste who took Afrobeat to the international stage.
“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,” he stated.
