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Femi Kuti, Grammy-nominated musician and son of the late music legend Fela Kuti, has shut down claims that iconic drummer Tony Allen co-created the Afrobeat genre with his father.
In a video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, Femi expressed frustration over the recurring narrative that credits Allen, who served as Fela’s lead drummer and musical director, as a co-founder of Afrobeat. He dismissed such claims as false and disrespectful to his father’s legacy.
Femi said Fela was fully responsible for creating every aspect of his music and that Allen, like other members of the band, was simply taught what to play.
“My father was a multi-instrumentalist and composer. He studied music. He knew every single part of his instrument,” Femi said. “You probably have read somewhere that they said he said, ‘Without Tony Allen, there is no Afrobeat.’ That is the biggest bullsh*t ever said about my father. It is such a big lie.”
He accused those promoting the narrative of trying to elevate Allen’s legacy at the expense of the truth, saying, “Yes, he was a good drummer, but Fela taught him his style of drums. Fela came up with all his drum patterns. We saw it.”
Femi added that Fela worked in a trance-like state during his creative process and did not allow anyone to contribute during that moment. According to him, everyone around had to remain calm and simply follow his instructions.
“When Fela was writing, no one could make any inputs,” he explained. “He goes into trance while making music… So, I asked those saying Fela credited Allen for Afrobeat—where did he say it? They can’t produce it. There is no article, recording or footage from any interview to prove it.”
He concluded by insisting that if such a quote ever existed, it would have been widely documented: “It is impossible that Fela would make such a statement and there is no copy anywhere.”
Watch him speak below…
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