Let’s be very clear, very direct, and very honest — because sentiments, fan wars, and blind idol worship have completely replaced historical sense in this conversation.
Wizkid is not, has never been, and can never be greater than Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Not musically. Not culturally. Not historically. Not ideologically.
Anyone pushing that narrative is either too young to know history, too lazy to study it, or too emotionally invested to accept facts.
This is not hate.
This is truth.
WIZKID DID NOT INVENT THIS SOUND — HE INHERITED IT
Wizkid is a student of Afrobeat and Afro-fusion, a genre created, defined, weaponized, and globalized by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti decades before Wizkid was born.
Fela did not just make music.
Fela built a movement, a sound architecture, a cultural resistance, and a musical ideology that today’s Afrobeats artists — Wizkid included — are beneficiaries of.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
What is wrong is rewriting history.
YES — WIZKID HAS BORROWED HEAVILY FROM FELA (AND HE KNOWS IT)
Let’s stop pretending. Wizkid himself has never denied Fela’s influence. The problem is not Wizkid — it is his loud, unruly fanbase that refuses to accept reality.
Here are clear examples where Fela’s fingerprints are obvious in Wizkid’s music:
🎵 Songs Deeply Rooted in Fela’s Influence:
Joro – Afrobeat rhythm structure, chant-style delivery, groove repetition
Jaiye Jaiye – Cultural call-and-response, traditional cadence, Fela-esque horn patterns
Ojuelegba – Storytelling from the streets, exactly how Fela narrated society
Sweet Love – Melodic phrasing and rhythmic swing straight from old Afrobeat templates
Zombie (reference, not cover) – The thematic boldness echoes Fela’s protest mindset
Wonder – Minimalist Afrobeat groove, ancestral rhythm patterns
Expensive Shit (conceptual reference) – Even the title pays homage to Fela’s legacy
This is not theft.
This is inheritance.
But inheritance does not make you greater than the ancestor.
COMPARING WIZKID TO FELA IS INTELLECTUALLY LAZY
Comparing Wizkid to Fela is like:
Comparing a startup CEO to the man who invented the industry
Comparing a successful politician to the founder of the political ideology
Comparing a hitmaker to a revolutionary architect
Fela:
Fought military dictatorships
Went to jail for music
Created Afrobeat from scratch
Used music as political warfare
Changed African music forever
Wizkid:
Is a global pop star
Makes excellent music
Dominates streaming platforms
Represents modern Afrobeats internationally
Both are great — but not on the same plane.
WHERE WIZKID FAILED: SILENCE WHEN HIS FANS WENT ROGUE
Here is the uncomfortable truth Wizkid FC doesn’t want to hear:
Wizkid should have shut this nonsense down immediately.
When fans started:
Disrespecting Fela
Calling Wizkid “greater”
Dismissing Afrobeat history
Mocking a man who laid the foundation
That was the moment Wizkid should have spoken up.
Great artists protect their lineage.
Great artists honor their musical ancestors.
Great artists correct ignorant narratives, not benefit from them.
Silence in moments like this looks like approval.
FELA IS NOT WIZKID’S MATE — HE IS HIS MUSICAL GRANDFATHER
Let this sink in slowly:
Without Fela, there is no Wizkid.
No Afrobeat blueprint.
No global respect for African rhythm.
No foundation for Afrobeats as the world knows it.
Fela is not Wizkid’s rival.
Fela is his musical great-grandfather.
And history does not bend for fan wars.
FINAL WORD — LET THIS END HERE
Celebrate Wizkid.
Stream his music.
Applaud his global achievements.
But never insult intelligence by comparing him to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
That argument is not bold.
It is not edgy.
It is not intelligent.
It is ignorance dressed as fandom.
And history will always win.
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