Fela Is Not the Originator of Afrobeat — Tekno Says, Highlights Eastern Music Legends

Nigerian singer Tekno has challenged the widely held belief that late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the sole originator of the genre, arguing that several other Nigerian music legends also played significant roles in shaping African music.

Speaking during an interview on HOT 97, Tekno acknowledged Fela’s enormous influence and his role in taking Afrobeat to the global stage but said the history of the genre should also recognise musicians from other parts of Nigeria.

Responding to a question about Fela being the father or creator of Afrobeat, Tekno said the narrative may differ depending on the region and musical background of the person discussing it.

“I don’t know, to be honest. There are legends like Oliver De Coque that made pure highlife music, and highlife is also Afrobeat,” he said.

Tekno explained that while Fela heavily influenced some of his own music, particularly his song *Rara*, his musical upbringing in southeastern Nigeria exposed him to other legendary artistes whose contributions he believes have received less recognition.

“For the people in Lagos and Yorubas, a record of mine that is ‘Rara’ is heavily inspired by Fela because I heard his tune and he is a legend. He stamped the Afrobeat thing on the world map,” he said.

The singer, however, maintained that musicians from the East also produced music that could be considered influential to the broader African sound, noting that many of their works remain largely unknown to younger generations.

“But there are other people that we listen to from the East, because I am from the East, and we had legends that sang some type of music that if you heard today, you wouldn’t even believe that this music was made in those times,” he added.

Tekno specifically mentioned highlife legend Oliver De Coque as one of his major musical influences, revealing that his father frequently played the musician’s records while he was growing up.

“I would say I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque because my dad used to play his records. There were so many artists that nobody knows about,” he said.

According to Tekno, Fela’s extensive international travels and performances with his band helped him gain global recognition and ultimately cemented his association with the Afrobeat movement.

“Fela gets the credit because he kind of travelled and had the band and went around the world,” he explained.

While acknowledging Fela as a major figure in the development and global recognition of Afrobeat, Tekno insisted that the genre’s history should not be reduced to one artiste.

“For some people, he is the originator of the Afrobeat thing, but to me, there is still a bunch of them and a lot of legends no one speaks about,” he said.