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Nigerian singer, Augustine Miles Kelechi popularly known as Tekno has ignited controversy with his statement that the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was not the founder of the genre as popularly believed.

In a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, Tekno argued that many music legends have contributed a lot to the growth of Afrobeats and that Fela should not be seen as the only originator.

He singled out highlife musician Oliver De Coque as one of the artistes whose contribution was also instrumental to the evolution of the sound.

He said Fela was more traveled and more “opportune” and took “all the credits”.

“Fela was a legend and contributed immensely to the genre but others also deserve some credit”, he explained.

Fela is not the father of Afrobeat. Lagos people and the Yorubas might say it is him but I am from the East and we had legends like Oliver De Coque. Oliver De Coque sang pure highlife. Afrobeats is highlife as well.

“My song ‘Rara’ is very much inspired by Fela because I grew up listening to his music. He’s legendary. He was the one who took Afrobeat international. But there are other people that we hear. We had some legends in the East who sang some kind of music that if you hear it today you won’t believe it was made in those times.

“I think these legends should have got more recognition. I think I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque and his fellow Easteners. My dad used to play his music loud.

“Fela gets all the credit because he traveled and performed with his band all over the world. Some people say he’s the originator of Afrobeats, but for me there are bunch of them, legends that no one talks about,” Tekno said.