Olumide Ogunlade, a popular musician from Nigeria and known as ID Cabasa, has compared Akon’s recent assertions about the origin of the pioneering Afrobeats to the colonial-era claim that Mungo Park discovered the River Niger.
Cabasa made the statement while speaking on the ongoing debate over the origin and ownership of the Afrobeats genre on Sunday’s edition of Rubbin’s on Channels Television.
He clarified that Akon’s significant influence on the global stage did not imply that it was the genre’s creator.
What Akon said, in my opinion, was a bit of a half-truth. Mungo Park claims to have found the Niger and Benue but also to have met there–but-he met people there.
You’re claiming to have discovered a sound that had already attracted him (Akon), and it’s true? That is how it sounds. The producer claimed that even the people he mentioned were already booming and engaged in activity.
Akon claimed in an interview with Sherri Shepherd and on the podcast BagFuel Brigade that he had a significant impact on the development of Afrobeats in early May.
The music executive attributed the genre’s success to his early collaborations with Nigerian artists like Wizkid and Banky W in the late 2000s and early 2010.
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Afrobeats’ international success was largely attributed to Akon, who had introduced business structures that were previously unheard of in the Nigerian music scene.
ID Cabasa claimed that the genre was already flourishing prior to the Senegalese’s involvement, which is an overstatement in contrast to Akon’s acknowledgement of Afrobeats’ contribution to global promotion.
He said, “Akon did not offend me; I had to respond.” By the way, Akon deserves a shout out. Everyone should respect him, but we must be cautious. It’s a topic that comes up in conversation with Afrobeats if there is anything we can leave as a legacy for Nigeria and Africa.
He (Akon) did have his own marketing and marketing responsibilities for some of these guys at the time, which contributed to the expansion of Afrobeats.
Some of his statements, such as saying that he came and nurtured people, were too heavy. You already knew there was a sound or something that drew you in. You contributed to it and were met here. In the same way, I’m against telling people I made Afrobeats.
Risk of losing one’s identity
Further speaking, Cabasa expressed concern about Afrobeats’ growing influence from the West and warned that Nigerian artists might be losing their cultural appeal in an effort to win over international fans.
The diaspora effect has a good part. Many young Nigerian producers are learning new techniques to enhance production quality. However, I’m concerned about losing our identity.
“We are now sounding more like R&, B, while the West is now sounding more like Afrobeats.” That is the real issue. It’s frightful. He said, “I almost believe we’ve already lost some of it.”
He lamented that many Afrobeats stars now work abroad and make money in foreign countries, and the genre runs the risk of eroding too far from its roots.
“I keep doing what I’m doing, reimagining classics,” to remind the newest generation of artists not to lose themselves. Don’t change who you are just to fit in, he said.
Reimagining the classics of Nigeria
Numerous Nigerian artists have recently been reimagining classics, including Tems with Seyi Sodimu’s “Love Me Jeje,” Rema with Sade’s “Is It a Crime,” Burna Boy with Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life,” and Joeboy with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
Olufunmi and 9ice’s “Photocopy” are both reimagined by ID Cabasa for Styl-Plus.
According to the current trend of sampling and reviving old Nigerian hits, Cabasa cited singer Olamide’s suggestion as the source of inspiration for these.
“I had a conversation with Olamide,” she said. We were discussing how foreigners are trying to sabotage the Afrobeats narrative, which they claim has been shaped and named.
Olamide said, “Maybe we should bring back the sounds that shaped this thing,” according to Olamide. He said, “I created an entire body of work around that idea because it had a resonance with me.”
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He praised contemporary musicians like Tems for bringing classics back to a new audience and said that listening to old music preserves our culture.
“Love Me Jeje,” which was originally written by Seyi Sodimu in 1999, is a cultural triumph. It is a tale. The familiarity and emotional connection are brought by sampling. Why not resurrect our extensive musical collection rather than sampling new music? Cabasa made a comment.
He also urged the Nigerian music industry to take greater care in preserving Afrobeats’ essence.
