Speaking during an interview on HOT 97, Tekno acknowledged Fela’s influence and described him as a legend who helped take Afrobeat to the global stage.
However, he pointed out that several older Nigerian musicians, including highlife icon Oliver De Coque, also created influential sounds that deserve recognition.
“I don’t know, to be honest. There are legends like Oliver De Coque that made pure highlife music, and highlife is also Afrobeat,” Tekno said.
The singer explained that while Fela had a major influence on his music, particularly his song “Rara,” he believes the history of the sound is broader than the contributions of one person.
“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,” he said.
Tekno added that growing up in Eastern Nigeria exposed him to several legendary musicians whose work he believes has not received enough recognition.
“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.
“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.”
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