Fela Was Not Sole Originator Of Afrobeats – Tekno

Popular Nigerian musician Augustine Miles Kelechi, widely known as Tekno, has sparked debate within the music industry after claiming that late music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was not the sole creator of Afrobeats.

Speaking during an interview on Hot 97 FM in New York, Tekno argued that other regional music legends contributed significantly to the genre’s foundation, particularly through Eastern highlife music.

“Fela is not the originator of Afrobeats,” Tekno said. “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.”

The singer stated that Fela received primary recognition mainly due to his international tours and global reach, while other influential pioneers were overlooked in the mainstream narrative.

While acknowledging Fela’s massive influence and citing him as the inspiration behind his hit single Rara, Tekno noted that his own musical style was drawn from highlife legends like Oliver De Coque, whose music his father played during his childhood.