Nigerian singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has questioned the widely held belief that the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the sole 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 musicians also played significant roles in shaping the sound.
The singer specifically mentioned highlife legend Oliver De Coque and other musicians from eastern Nigeria, saying their contributions to the development of African music should receive greater recognition.
According to Tekno, Fela became the figure most associated with the genre partly because he had greater opportunities to travel and perform internationally.
“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.
Prompt News reports Tekno also revealed that Fela influenced his own music, particularly his song ‘Rara’, which he said was inspired by listening to the legendary musician while growing up.
“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 said.
The singer said his musical upbringing was also shaped by Oliver De Coque, whose records were frequently played by his father.
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“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.
While acknowledging Fela’s international impact, Tekno argued that his global exposure helped him receive a level of recognition that other influential musicians did not enjoy.
“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,” he said.
