Singer Akon saying he discovered Afrobeat is half-truth and is just like saying Mungo Park discovered River Niger – Music producer ID Cabasa

Nigerian music producer Olumide Ogunlade, popularly known as ID Cabasa, has dismissed recent claims by Senegalese-American singer Akon about pioneering Afrobeats as a “half-truth,” comparing it to colonial-era narratives.

Cabasa made the remarks on Sunday, June 1, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, where he addressed the ongoing debate surrounding the origins and globalisation of the Afrobeats 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,” Cabasa said. “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.”

Earlier in May, Akon had asserted in interviews with Sherri Shepherd and the BagFuel Brigade podcast that he played a pivotal role in creating Afrobeats, citing his early collaborations with Nigerian artists such as Wizkid and Banky W in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The music executive described himself as a key force behind Afrobeats’ rise to international prominence, claiming he introduced vital business structures to the Nigerian music scene.

Responding to those claims, Cabasa acknowledged Akon’s role in expanding the genre’s reach but stressed that Afrobeats was already flourishing before Akon became involved.

“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,” Cabasa said.

“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,” he continued. “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.”

Cabasa also voiced concern about the increasing Western influence on Afrobeats, cautioning that Nigerian artists may be losing their cultural identity in the process of appealing to global audiences.

“There’s a good part to the diaspora effect. Many young Nigerian producers are learning new sounds and improving the quality of production. But I’m worried about the identity we’re losing,” he said. “The West is now sounding more like Afrobeats, while we’re sounding more like R&B. That’s the real concern. It’s scary. I almost think we’ve already lost part of it.”

He noted that many Nigerian Afrobeats stars now reside abroad and operate in foreign currencies, a development he believes distances the genre from its foundational roots.

“That’s why I keep doing what I’m doing, reimagining classics, to remind this new generation of artistes not to lose themselves. Don’t abandon who you are just to fit in,” he said.

Cabasa is among a growing list of Nigerian artists reinterpreting older hits to keep the essence of Afrobeats alive. Tems recently sampled Seyi Sodimu’s Love Me Jeje, Rema reimagined Sade’s Is It a Crime, Burna Boy drew from Soul II Soul’s Back to Life, and Joeboy revisited Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Cabasa himself has reimagined Styl-Plus’s Olufunmi and 9ice’s Photocopy.

He credited the inspiration behind this approach to a conversation with rapper Olamide. “It all started from a conversation with Olamide. We were talking about how people abroad are trying to hijack the Afrobeats narrative, saying they named it, shaped it,” he said. “That’s when Olamide said, ‘Maybe we should bring back the sounds that shaped this thing.’ That idea resonated with me, and I created an entire body of work around it.”

Cabasa praised artists like Tems for introducing younger audiences to classic sounds, highlighting the cultural value of sampling.

“Tems winning with Love Me Jeje (originally by Seyi Sodimu in 1999), that’s cultural. It’s storytelling. Sampling brings familiarity and emotional connection. Instead of sampling foreign music, why not revive our rich catalogue?” he said.

He concluded with a call for the Nigerian music industry to be more deliberate in preserving the core of Afrobeats.

“The industry is getting complicated, and many are not paying attention. Sampling is cultural preservation, and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing, to ensure we don’t forget where it all started,” Cabasa said.