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Nigerian singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has challenged the popular narrative surrounding the origins of Afrobeats, arguing that the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti should not be regarded as the genre’s sole originator.
Tekno made the comments during a recent interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, where he acknowledged Fela’s enormous contribution to African music while calling for greater recognition of other Nigerian musicians whose work helped shape the country’s musical heritage.
The singer specifically highlighted the contributions of highlife legend Oliver De Coque and other musicians from eastern Nigeria, arguing that their influence is often overlooked when discussions about the roots of Afrobeats arise.
According to Tekno, Fela’s international exposure played a major role in making him the musician most strongly associated with the development and global spread of Afrobeat.
“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,” he said.
Tekno explained that Oliver De Coque was an important figure in his own musical upbringing and described his style as an example of the different sounds that contributed to the broader evolution of African music.
“Oliver De Coque made pure highlife music. Highlife is also Afrobeats,” the singer added.
While disputing the idea that Fela originated Afrobeats, Tekno was careful to acknowledge the legendary musician’s influence on his career and the enormous role he played in introducing African music to international audiences.
He revealed that his song Rara was heavily influenced by Fela’s music, which he encountered while growing up.
“My song ‘Rara’ is heavily inspired by Fela because I heard his music while growing up. He is a legend. He was the one who took Afrobeat international,” Tekno said.
The singer, however, maintained that Fela was not the only musician whose work deserves recognition when tracing the history of African music.
According to him, musicians from different parts of Nigeria developed distinctive sounds that contributed to the country’s rich musical tradition, even though many of them did not receive the same level of international recognition.
Tekno recalled that his father regularly played Oliver De Coque’s music, making the highlife musician one of the artists who significantly influenced his musical taste.
“I feel like these legends deserved more recognition. I would say I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque and his peers from the East. My dad used to play his music a lot,” he said.
The singer also pointed to the importance of international exposure in determining which African musicians became globally recognised.
“Fela gets all the credit because he travelled and performed with his band around the world,” Tekno said.
He argued that Fela’s ability to tour internationally and perform for audiences outside Nigeria helped establish his music as a major reference point for African sounds.
“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 comments have brought renewed attention to the distinction between Afrobeat, the politically charged musical style pioneered by Fela, and Afrobeats, the broader contemporary sound that emerged decades later and has become one of Africa’s biggest cultural exports.
The debate over the origins of Afrobeats has continued as Nigerian music gains increasing international influence, with different generations of musicians drawing inspiration from older genres such as highlife, juju, Afrobeat and traditional African rhythms.
For Tekno, recognising Fela’s contribution does not mean overlooking other pioneers whose music helped shape the foundation upon which contemporary African artistes have built their careers.
His remarks therefore highlight the diverse musical traditions that have contributed to Nigeria’s evolving sound and call attention to legendary musicians from different regions whose influence may not always receive the same international recognition.
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