Let’s set the record straight once and for all, without sentiments, fan loyalty, or deliberate revisionism. History does not need defending — it needs truth. And the truth is clear, documented, and globally accepted.
Yes, Sikiru Adepoju is arguably the first Nigerian to win a Grammy Award. That fact is not in dispute. However, let us be accurate: he did not win the Grammy as a band leader or originator of a genre. He won it as a member of a band project, which means — as is standard practice — every contributor on that project received credit and a plaque. That is how the Grammy system works.
That achievement is respectable.
But it does not qualify anyone to rewrite musical history.
Sikiru Adepoju is a veteran. He knows history. That is exactly why this current narrative is troubling — because it blurs the line between facts and fiction.
LET’S CALL IT WHAT IT IS: A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO REDUCE FELA
When people like Sikiru Adepoju and Samklef suggest that Fela did not invent Afrobeat, they are not stating an alternative opinion — they are pushing a false narrative.
This is not academic debate.
This is intentional historical distortion.
Why? Because Fela is too big, too dominant, too unavoidable in African music history. And some people, consciously or unconsciously, wish they had created something so powerful that people would still be debating it decades after their death.
But wishes do not change facts.
YES, OTHERS PLAYED SIMILAR SOUNDS — NO, THEY DID NOT CREATE AFROBEAT
Let’s be intellectually honest.
Many musicians in the 1960s experimented with sounds that contained elements later found in Afrobeat. This includes respected names like Orlando Julius, among others.
Let me be clear — this is not speculation. I know this history personally.
Orlando Julius was my townsman from Ijebu-Jesa. He was also closely associated with the late I.K. Dairo, who was equally from Ijebu-Jesa. These were real people, real pioneers, and I know their contributions very well.
Orlando Julius made excellent, innovative, and unique music. His sound blended:
Highlife
American R&B
Soul
Jazz
Funk
These elements later appeared in Afrobeat.
But here is the part people conveniently ignore:
👉 Having elements of Afrobeat does not mean you created Afrobeat.
ELEMENTS DO NOT EQUAL INVENTION
This is where the confusion — or deception — lies.
Yes, Orlando Julius fused highlife with soul and jazz.
Yes, his sound influenced future Afrobeat musicians, including Fela.
Yes, he was a pioneer of Afro-soul and Afro-funk experimentation.
But he did not name, define, structure, or institutionalize Afrobeat as a genre.
That distinction matters.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: WHEN FELA INVENTED AFROBEAT
Everything changed when Fela Anikulapo-Kuti returned from the United States in the late 1960s.
This is not hearsay. This is documented music history.
Fela:
Repackaged the sound
Defined the structure
Named the genre Afrobeat
Renamed his band to Africa ’70 (later Egypt 80)
Declared Afrobeat intentionally, boldly, and publicly
From that moment, Afrobeat was:
Recognizable
Ideological
Political
Musical
Cultural
And here is the most important fact of all:
👉 No musician of that era challenged Fela’s claim.
No lawsuits.
No counter-claims.
No public disputes.
Everyone saw it.
Everyone heard it.
Everyone accepted it.
SO WHO IS QUALIFIED TO DISPUTE TIME ITSELF?
If no one in the 60s and 70s — when Fela was alive, active, and confrontational — disputed his invention of Afrobeat, then who exactly is Sikiru Adepoju or Samklef to challenge it decades later?
You cannot argue with:
Recorded albums
Global recognition
Academic research
Cultural documentation
The consensus of history
Afrobeat did not emerge accidentally.
It was declared, defended, and defined by Fela.
LET’S GIVE ORLANDO JULIUS HIS REAL FLOWERS — WITHOUT STEALING FELA’S CROWN
The late Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode deserves respect — but accurate respect.
He was:
A pioneer of Afro-soul and Afro-funk fusion
One of the earliest musicians to merge highlife with jazz and soul
An influence on Afrobeat’s development
But influence is not invention.
Orlando Julius helped shape the road.
Fela built the highway and named it Afrobeat.
FINAL VERDICT — HISTORY IS NOT A DEMOCRACY
You do not vote on history.
You do not remix facts.
You do not downgrade legends to inflate egos.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti created Afrobeat.
That is not opinion.
That is historical fact.
Anything else is noise.
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