The Tekno Fela Comment That Has Everyone Talking Again

Every time Afrobeats starts trending, somehow the conversation circles back to Fela Kuti. This time, it is Tekno who lit the match.

According to Pulse Nigeria, Tekno went on Yanga FM this week and said it plain: “Fela was not my king and he will never be my king.” He explained that he grew up in Bauchi, his dad is Igbo, no Yoruba was spoken around him, so he just did not grow up listening to Fela.

You can check the original Pulse report here: Tekno: Fela Kuti Was Never My King, Oliver De Coque Is

What Tekno Actually Said

The Tekno Fela Comment was not about who created Afrobeat. It was about what was playing in his house as a kid.

• He said he did not listen to Fela growing up and even after growing up
• His king is Oliver De Coque, the Igbo highlife legend
• He said only Rara from his catalogue sounds like Fela's Afrobeat
• Songs like Pana, Duro and Yawa came from somewhere completely different

Pulse also noted that Tekno was clear he was not denying Fela's place as the originator of Afrobeat. He was just talking about his own influences.

Why This Turned Into A Nigerian Music Debate

In Nigeria, it almost feels like you have to mention Fela in every Afrobeats interview. If you don't, people will ask why.

But that is not everyone's reality. A lot of artists who grew up in the North or the East in the 90s grew up on highlife. For Tekno, who was born in Bauchi and moved around Nasarawa, Kaduna and Abuja because his father was in the Army, that was Oliver De Coque.

That is why this story blew up. It touches that sensitive spot between respect and originality.

How People Are Reacting

If you scroll through the comments under the clip, you will see three different reactions:

• The honesty side: People saying let him speak his truth, you can't force influence
• The sacrilege side: People saying but you sing Afrobeats, how can you say Fela didn't influence you
• The generational side: People saying it is just a difference in upbringing, not disrespect

There is no confirmed massive backlash, just a lot of back and forth. And that is the Nigerian music debate all over again.

What This Says About Afrobeats Right Now

This whole Afro beat trending moment is a reminder that Nigerian pop did not come from one place.

Fela is the blueprint for Afrobeat, no question. But highlife legends like Oliver De Coque shaped a whole different side of the sound that fed into what we now call Afrobeats. For some artists, that side was louder in their childhood home.

Tekno is not trying to rewrite history. He is just saying this is who raised me musically.