Nigerian singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has challenged the widespread view that the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the originator of Afrobeats.
Tekno made the comments during an interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, where he argued that several Nigerian music pioneers contributed to the development of the sounds that later evolved into what is now globally known as Afrobeats.
While acknowledging Fela’s enormous influence on African music, the singer said the legendary musician’s international exposure helped strengthen his association with the genre.
Tekno specifically highlighted the contributions of late highlife musician Oliver De Coque and other music pioneers from eastern Nigeria, arguing that their influence has not received enough recognition.
“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,” Tekno said.
The singer argued that highlife and other indigenous musical traditions from different parts of Nigeria played important roles in shaping the sound of contemporary Afrobeats.
Tekno also revealed that his own musical influences include both Fela and Oliver De Coque. He recalled that his father regularly played De Coque’s records while he was growing up.
According to the singer, Fela’s extensive international touring also contributed to the musician becoming more closely associated with the sound worldwide.
“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 added.
Tekno’s remarks have reignited discussion over the origins of Afrobeats and the contributions of musicians from different parts of Nigeria to the evolution of the country’s internationally celebrated music.
While Fela is widely recognised as the central pioneer of Afrobeat, a distinct political and socially conscious genre that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, the modern term Afrobeats generally refers to a broader contemporary West African pop sound that developed through the influence of multiple artists, genres and musical traditions.
