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Tekno

Nigerian singer Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known as Tekno, has challenged the widely held view that late music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the sole originator of Afrobeats, arguing that several Nigerian musicians contributed to the development of the sound.

Tekno made the remarks during an interview with Hot 97 FM in New York, where he discussed the evolution of Nigerian music and the contributions of earlier generations of musicians.

The singer acknowledged Fela’s enormous influence on African music and his role in taking Afrobeat to international audiences, but argued that the history of the genre should also recognise musicians from other parts of Nigeria.

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According to Tekno, musicians across the country contributed to the musical traditions that eventually influenced the sound now widely identified with Afrobeats.

He specifically mentioned late highlife musician Oliver De Coque, one of the prominent musicians associated with the eastern part of Nigeria, as an example of an older artiste whose contribution deserves greater recognition.

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Tekno said Fela received much of the international recognition because of his extensive global tours and ability to introduce his music and political message to audiences outside Africa.

While acknowledging the importance of that achievement, he maintained that international exposure should not be confused with being the only source of the broader Nigerian musical tradition.

The singer’s comments come amid continuing debates over the origins and evolution of Afrobeats, a term that is now used globally to describe a broad range of contemporary West African popular music.

Music historians and scholars have often distinguished between Fela’s Afrobeat, a politically charged fusion of highlife, jazz, funk and traditional African rhythms, and the contemporary Afrobeats movement, which incorporates influences from several African and global musical styles.

Tekno’s argument appears to focus on the broader musical heritage from which contemporary Nigerian music developed.

He suggested that musicians from different regions played important roles in shaping Nigeria’s musical identity, but that some of their contributions have received less international attention.

Oliver De Coque, who died in 2008, was renowned for his highlife music and became one of the most influential musicians from eastern Nigeria. His music incorporated traditional Igbo influences and helped popularise highlife among Nigerian and African audiences.

Tekno’s call for greater recognition of older Eastern musicians therefore extends the conversation beyond Fela and the Lagos-centric narrative often associated with the history of Nigerian popular music.

The singer did not diminish Fela’s influence but argued that the development of African music should be viewed as a collective process involving several generations and musical traditions.

His comments have added another perspective to the ongoing discussion about who should receive recognition for the foundations of Nigeria’s globally successful contemporary music industry.

As Afrobeats continues to expand internationally, debates over its origins, terminology and historical influences are expected to remain part of conversations about Nigeria’s musical heritage.

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Opeyemi Isioye
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