Tekno Challenges Fela’s Afrobeats Legacy, Shares Who He Believes Deserves More Credit
- Tekno has challenged the widely held belief that late music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the originator of Afrobeats
- He acknowledged Fela’s huge influence but argued that several other Nigerian legends
- Tekno said Fela received much of the recognition partly because he travelled extensively and took his music to international audiences
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Nigerian singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has offered a different perspective on the history of Afrobeats, challenging the popular narrative surrounding the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
During a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, the singer argued that Fela should not be regarded as the sole originator of the genre.
Tekno acknowledged Fela as a major musical figure but insisted that other Nigerian legends also contributed to the evolution of the sound.
Source: Instagram
‘Fela is not the originator’
According to Tekno, his perspective is influenced partly by his Eastern Nigerian background, where he grew up listening to legendary musicians such as Oliver De Coque.
“Fela is not the originator of Afrobeats,” he said.
The singer explained that Oliver De Coque's highlife music also contained elements that could be associated with what audiences now broadly describe as Afrobeats.
Tekno said he was particularly inspired by the late highlife musician because his father regularly played his music while he was growing up.
While praising Fela's contribution, Tekno suggested that his extensive travels and international performances helped him gain greater recognition.
“Fela gets all the credit because he travelled and performed with his band around the world,” he said.
The singer also pointed to his own music as evidence of Fela's influence, revealing that his song Rara was heavily inspired by the music legend.
“He is a legend. He was the one who took Afrobeat international,” Tekno said.
Watch the X video of Tekno's interview here:
Reactions trail Tekno's interview here:
Legit.ng compiled the comments of social media users below:
@ziondflutter stated:
"This guy is just an olodo big time . For someone to fuse these genres together, what does that entail . It means he had that intellectual capability. I did a course while in school about popular music in Nigeria and yes highlife wasn't even owned by Nigeria self , it was Ghanian."
Ogarexmas shared:
"The afrobeats which is currently global now was what Fela used. Oliver D Coque and others from the east were highlife singers. The only modern day artiste that tried using that sound was Flavour. I don't think I have heard a Tekno song that sounds highlife."
Source: Instagram
Tekno speaks on Wizkid's influence on his career
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that singer Tekno confirmed his popular track "Rara" drew its core inspiration directly from Wizkid's "Ojuelegba."
Speaking on a recent podcast, the singer explained that both songs share the same musical progression.
He added that he was shocked when he learned that Afrobeats superstar Wizkid almost shelved the classic record before its release.
Source: Legit.ng
