- Seun Kuti has warned Afrobeat artistes against comparing himself to his father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
- He disapproves of musicians labeling themselves as modern versions of Fela based on samples of his music or taking inspiration from his style.
- Kuti stressed the importance of recognizing Fela’s unique legacy rather than trying to replicate it.
Singer and activist Seun Kuti has warned Afrobeat artists against comparing themselves to his late father, legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the tendency of some Afrobeat musicians to refer to themselves as modern versions of Fela simply because they sampled his songs or were inspired by his sound.
The Grammy-nominated musician made it clear that while he has no problem with artistes experimenting with Fela’s music, he strongly objects to comparisons of the Afrobeat icon with contemporary Afrobeat stars.
According to him, tasting Fela’s work does not automatically place any artist on the same level as the late legend.
Seun Kuti said on a recent episode of the Hits Don’t Lie podcast: “Some people have done great samples of Fela’s music. But my only criticism is that sampling Fela doesn’t make you Fela.
“So, people should stop saying they’re my dad. It’s crazy. It’s crazy when people say they’re the ‘new Fela.'” Where’s “Bob Marley”? Only in Nigeria will you hear something like this. What we have here is crazy. People are wild. “
Over the years, several Afrobeat stars, including Wizkid and Burna Boy, have been compared to Fela for their repeated use of samples in her music.
Street music artists such as Bella Shmurda and Portable also publicly call themselves “New Fela”.
Meanwhile, rapper Olamide sparked controversy late last year when he declared that Wizkid was “the greatest Afrobeat artist since Fela”.
