Veteran Nigerian producer and music executive Olumide Ogunade, widely known as ID Cabasa, has openly challenged Senegalese-American singer Akon over his recent claims regarding the creation of Afrobeats.
Akon, during an interview with American actress Sherri Shepherd, presented himself as a major catalyst for the global rise of Afrobeats in the late 2000s.
He asserted that his collaborations with Nigerian artists and music executives were pivotal in birthing the Afrobeats genre recognized today.
Akon’s narrative was centered around his signing of Wizkid as the first Nigerian artist under his label and his subsequent collaborations with Nigerian musicians, including a partnership with Banky W.
“I was the bridge,” Akon claimed confidently. “Wizkid was just a local artist until I signed him. I helped him cross over.”
However, this perspective did not sit well with many within the Nigerian music industry, including ID Cabasa, who saw it as a misrepresentation of the genre’s history.
Reacting during an interview with Wazobia FM, ID Cabasa dismissed Akon’s claims as misleading. “Akon for also tok say na he still discovered the likes of 2Face, Timaya, 9ice and Co.,” he remarked in Pidgin English.
“Na the people wey he roll with when he come Nigeria, wey tell am say, ‘I’m the biggest person around this place.’ So, he properly feels he pioneered business and branding sides of Afrobeats.”
ID Cabasa went on to acknowledge that while Akon did collaborate with Nigerian artists during the late 2000s and early 2010s, his involvement did not make him a creator of the genre.
According to the veteran producer, Afrobeats was already gaining momentum through the works of pioneering artists like 2Face, 9ice, and Timaya before Akon arrived on the scene.
“Afrobeats no be wettin wey one person create; na culture,” he emphasized, insisting that the genre is a cultural movement rather than the creation of any single individual.
A key aspect of Akon’s claim was his narrative about Wizkid’s rise, but ID Cabasa debunked this, explaining that it was actually Banky W who discovered Wizkid and signed him to his Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) label.
“We all know say na Banky W dem sign Wizkid,” he clarified. “Yes, we collaborate with Akon in terms of distribution, but e no mean say he go tok say na he create Afrobeats.”
ID Cabasa stressed that Akon’s influence in distribution did not equate to the creation of the genre.
The veteran producer further criticized the idea that international collaborations were the foundation of Afrobeats’ success.
He noted that Nigerian artists had been making waves long before Akon’s involvement.
“2Face was already a legend, 9ice was a star, Timaya had his hits. These were the artists shaping the sound,” he stated. His comments highlighted that the genre’s roots were deeply entrenched in Nigeria’s evolving music culture.
ID Cabasa’s remarks have sparked conversations among fans and music lovers, with many taking to social media to weigh in on the debate.
His perspective not only defends the legacy of Nigerian pioneers but also reaffirms that Afrobeats is a cultural movement driven by the collective contributions of multiple artists, producers, and executives, rather than the work of a single individual.
