Afrobeats singer and activist Seun Kuti has cautioned contemporary Afrobeats artists against drawing direct comparisons between themselves and his late father, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, insisting that sampling his music does not place anyone on the same pedestal as the legend.
Speaking on the Hits Don’t Lie podcast, Kuti criticised what he described as a growing trend of artists branding themselves as the “New Fela” simply because they have sampled or drawn inspiration from his father’s work.
While acknowledging that some modern artistes have produced quality samples of Fela’s music, Kuti stressed that creative borrowing should not be confused with legacy or cultural impact.
“A few people have done good samples of Fela’s music,” he said. “But the only critique that I have is that sampling Fela doesn’t make you Fela.”
He noted that such comparisons are largely peculiar to Nigeria, pointing out that global music cultures rarely crown successors to iconic figures in the same manner. According to him, artists like Wizkid and Burna Boy, who have sampled Fela’s music, have often been subjected to such comparisons.
“So people should stop saying that they are my dad. That is crazy,” Kuti added. “It’s crazy when people say that they are the ‘New Fela.’ Where is the ‘Bob Marley’? It is only in Nigeria you hear such things. We do wild stuff here. People are wild.”
Seun Kuti’s comments have since sparked conversations within the music community about originality, legacy and the fine line between influence and imitation in Afrobeats’ rapidly evolving global rise.
