Nigerian singer Tekno has said late music icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti should not be regarded as the sole originator of Afrobeats, arguing that other legends also shaped the sound.

Speaking in an interview with Hot 97 in New York, Tekno acknowledged Fela as a major figure who took the music to an international audience. He said his own song *Rara* was heavily inspired by Fela. At the same time, he insisted the story of the genre is broader than one artist.

He pointed to highlife star, Oliver De Coque and other musicians from eastern Nigeria, where he is from. According to him, highlife also belongs within the wider Afrobeats tradition, even if those artists receive less global recognition.

Tekno said Fela often gets most of the credit because he travelled widely and performed with his band around the world. “To some people, he is the originator of Afrobeats, but to me, there are a bunch of them, legends that no one speaks about,” he said.

The comments have added to a long-running debate about how Afrobeat, highlife and modern Afrobeats should be traced and credited.