“There are legends like Oliver De Coque” — Tekno speaks about Fela as originator of Afrobeat

Nigerian singer Tekno has sparked a conversation about the roots of Afrobeat after highlighting the contributions of music legends beyond Fela Kuti.

The singer made the remarks during an interview on HOT 97 while discussing Fela’s influence and his reputation as the father of Afrobeat.

Tekno said Fela played a major role in taking the sound to the international stage. However, he questioned the idea that one person should receive all the credit for its origins.

“I don’t know, to be honest. There are legends like Oliver De Coque that made pure highlife music, and highlife is also Afrobeat.

So I would say for the people in Lagos and Yorubas, a record of mine that is ‘Rara’ is heavily inspired by Fela because I heard his tune and he is a legend. He stamped the Afrobeat thing on the world map.”

According to Tekno, several musicians from different parts of Nigeria contributed to the country’s musical heritage, but their influence has not received enough recognition.

“But there are other people that we listen to from the East, because I am from the East, and we had legends that sang some type of music that if you heard today, you wouldn’t even believe that this music was made in those times. I feel like they don’t know these guys or maybe they didn’t come across them.”

‘I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque’

Tekno further revealed that Oliver De Coque had a significant influence on him because of his father’s love for the legendary highlife musician.

“I would say I was more inspired by Oliver De Coque because my dad used to play his records. There were so many artists that nobody knows about, and Fela gets the credit because he kind of travelled and had the band and went around the world.”

The ‘Rara’ singer maintained that Fela’s global impact is undeniable, but he believes several other musicians deserve recognition when discussing the origins and evolution of Afrobeat.

“For some people, he is the originator of the Afrobeat thing, but to me, there is still a bunch of them and a lot of legends no one speaks about.”

Tekno’s comments have reignited discussions about the evolution of Nigerian music and the different musical traditions that contributed to the sounds now associated with Afrobeat and Afrobeats.

Watch the video here…

“Fela is not the originator of Afrobeat. Lagos people and the Yorubas might say he’s the one but I am from the East, and we had legends like Oliver.” —Nigerian Singer Tekno pic.twitter.com/DIElid9cJ3

— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) August 27, 2026