Singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has stirred controversy after challenging the widely held belief that late Nigerian music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the originator of Afrobeats.
Tekno made the remarks during a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, where he acknowledged Fela’s enormous influence on African music but argued that other Nigerian music legends also played important roles in shaping the sound associated with Afrobeats.
According to the singer, the contribution of musicians from other parts of Nigeria, particularly the South-East, has not received sufficient recognition.
Tekno specifically cited legendary highlife musician Oliver De Coque, arguing that his music and that of other pioneers contributed to the evolution of contemporary African music.
“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,” Tekno said.
The singer, however, praised Fela for taking his music to international audiences and influencing generations of Nigerian and African musicians.
Tekno said his own music had been influenced by Fela, particularly his song “Rara”, which he said drew heavily from the late musician’s sound.
“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,” he said.
Despite acknowledging Fela’s contribution, Tekno maintained that the development of African popular music could not be attributed to one individual.
He argued that several musicians from different parts of Nigeria created influential sounds long before Afrobeats became a globally recognised genre.
READ ALSO: ‘Living for Your Legacy: Seun Kuti Honors Fela
“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 said.
Tekno further revealed that his appreciation for eastern music was influenced by his upbringing, noting that his father frequently played Oliver De Coque’s music.
“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,” he said.
The singer suggested that Fela’s international exposure contributed significantly to the widespread association of his name with the origins of Afrobeat.
According to Tekno, Fela’s extensive travels and international performances with his band gave him an advantage in gaining global recognition.
“Fela gets all the credit because he travelled and performed with his band around the world,” he said.
Tekno stressed that while some people regard Fela as the originator of Afrobeats, he viewed the history of the genre and related African sounds as a broader story involving several musical pioneers.
“To some people, he is the originator of Afrobeats, but to me, there are a bunch of them—legends that no one speaks about,” he added.
Tekno’s comments are likely to fuel renewed debate over the distinction between Afrobeat, the genre pioneered and popularised internationally by Fela Kuti, and the broader contemporary Afrobeats movement that emerged decades later.
While Fela is widely credited as the central figure behind Afrobeat, musicians such as Oliver De Coque and other highlife pioneers played significant roles in Nigeria’s broader musical history, providing earlier traditions and sounds that continue to influence contemporary African music.