Nigerian music producer, Olumide Ogunlade, popularly known as ID Cabasa, has described Senegalese-American singer, Akon’s recent claims about pioneering Afrobeats as a “half-truth,” likening it to the colonial-era assertion that Mungo Park discovered the River Niger.
Cabasa made the statement while appearing on Rubbin’ Minds, where he weighed in on the ongoing conversation around the origin and ownership of the Afrobeats genre.
He clarified that while Akon’s influence in spotlighting Nigerian artistes on the global stage was notable, it did not equate to being the originator of the genre.
“What Akon said, I think, was sort of a half-truth. It’s like Mungo Park saying he discovered the River Niger and Benue — but he met people there fishing.
“There was already a sound that attracted him (Akon), and you’re claiming you discovered it? That’s how it sounded. Even the people he mentioned — these guys were already popping, already doing stuff,” the producer said.
In early May, Akon claimed in an interview with Sherri Shepherd and also with the BagFuel Brigade podcast that he played a pivotal role in creating Afrobeats.
The music executive credited his collaborations with Nigerian artistes like Wizkid and Banky W in the late 2000s and early 2010s as foundational to the genre’s global success.
While acknowledging Akon’s role in promoting Afrobeats globally, ID Cabasa maintained that the genre was already thriving before the Senegalese’s involvement, making his claim of nurturing it an overstatement.
He said, “Akon did not offend me — I had to respond to that. By the way, shout out to Akon. He is a guy that everybody should respect, but we need to be careful. If there’s anything we can keep as a legacy for Nigeria and Africa, it’s part of the conversation around Afrobeats.
“He (Akon) actually played his own part in terms of marketing and everything he did for some of these guys back then, which was also instrumental in helping Afrobeats expand.
“But some of the things he said were too heavy — saying he came and nurtured people… No. There was already a sound, there was something that attracted you. You met it here and did your part. It’s the same way I can’t stand and tell people I created Afrobeats.”
