Akon’s Afrobeats Remarks Half-Truth, Like Saying Mungo Park Discovered River Niger – ID Cabasa

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 Sunday’s edition of Rubbin’ Minds on Channels Television, 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.

Akon had described himself as a major catalyst for Afrobeats’ international breakthrough by introducing business structures that were previously missing in the Nigerian music scene.

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.”

Identity Loss Risk

Speaking further, Cabasa expressed concern over the growing Western influence on Afrobeats, warning that Nigerian artistes might be losing their cultural identity in a bid to appeal to international 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.

“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 said.

He lamented that many Afrobeats stars now reside abroad and charge in foreign currencies, adding that the genre risks drifting too far from its 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.

Reimagining Nigerian Classics

Several Nigerian artists have been lately reimagining classics, including Tems with Seyi Sodimu’s ‘Love Me Jeje,’ Rema with Sade’s ‘Is It a Crime’, Burna Boy with Soul II Soul’s ‘Back to Life’, and Joeboy with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller”

ID Cabasa reimagined Styl-Plus’s hit, ‘Olufunmi’ and 9ice’s ‘Photocopy’.

On the trend of sampling and reviving old Nigerian hits, Cabasa shared the inspiration behind these and linked the preservation to singer Olamide’s suggestion.

“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.

“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,” he said.

He praised contemporary artistes like Tems for reintroducing classics to a new audience and noted that sampling old sounds preserves our culture.

“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?” Cabasa noted.

He also encouraged the Nigerian music industry to be more intentional about preserving the essence 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,” he added.