Sampling Fela Doesn’t Make You Fela – Seun Kuti Warns Afrobeats Artistes -

 Grammy-nominated singer and activist Seun Kuti has cautioned Afrobeats artistes against likening themselves to his late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary pioneer of Afrobeat music.  

Seun expressed displeasure over a growing trend in the Nigerian music industry where some Afrobeats musicians describe themselves as the “new Fela” simply because they sample his father’s songs or draw inspiration from his sound.

While clarifying that he has no objection to artistes sampling Fela’s music, Seun stressed that such creative choices do not place anyone on the same pedestal as the Afrobeat icon.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Hits Don’t Lie podcast, Seun Kuti criticised what he described as misguided comparisons between contemporary Afrobeats stars and his father.

“A few people have done good samples of Fela’s music. But the only critique that I have is that sampling Fela doesn’t make you Fela,” he said.

“People should stop saying that they are my dad. That is crazy. It’s crazy when people say they are the ‘new Fela.’ Where is the ‘new Bob Marley’? It’s only in Nigeria you hear such things. We do wild stuff here. People are wild.”

According to Seun, Fela’s legacy goes far beyond music, noting that his father was a cultural revolutionary, political activist, and fearless critic of injustice, whose impact cannot be

Over the years, several Afrobeats stars, including Wizkid and Burna Boy, have been compared to Fela due to their frequent use of Afrobeat samples and socially conscious themes.

Street-hop artistes such as Bella Shmurda and Portable have also publicly referred to themselves as the “new Fela,” further fuelling debates around legacy, originality, and cultural responsibility.

The conversation gained renewed attention late last year after rapper Olamide described Wizkid as “the greatest Afrobeats artiste after Fela,” a statement that sparked mixed reactions across social media.

Seun Kuti’s remarks have reignited discussions on the importance of respecting musical history and cultural context, while encouraging artistes to build their own identities rather than adopting comparisons tied to legendary figures.