Musician, Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has sparked debate after claiming that the late music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was not the sole originator of Afrobeats.
“Fela is not the originator of Afrobeats,” Tekno stated during an interview on Hot 97 FM in New York.
“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.”
Tekno argued that Fela received primary credit largely because of his global reach.
“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.”
While acknowledging Fela’s influence and citing him as the inspiration behind his hit single Rara, Tekno emphasized his own musical roots.
“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.”