Sampling Fela Doesn’t Make You Fela – Seun Kuti Fires Back

According to Ireporter Online, Afrobeats singer Seun Kuti has urged contemporary artists to refrain from comparing themselves to his late father, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Speaking on the Hits Don’t Lie podcast, Kuti criticized musicians who claim to be the “New Fela” simply because they have sampled Fela’s music or drawn inspiration from his style.

Highlighting a trend prevalent in Nigeria, Kuti cited examples of artists like Wizkid and Burna Boy, who have sampled his father’s work and subsequently faced such comparisons. He stated, “A few people have done good samples of Fela’s music. But the only critique that I have is that sampling Fela doesn’t make you Fela. So, people should stop saying that they are my dad. That is crazy. 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. We do wild stuff here. People are wild.”

Kuti’s remarks come amid ongoing debates about the influence of Fela’s legacy on the current generation of Nigerian musicians.