Renowned Nigerian music producer Olumide Ogunade, popularly known as ID Cabasa, has dismissed claims by Senegalese-American artist Akon that he played a foundational role in creating Afrobeats.
Speaking during an interview on **Wazobia FM**, Cabasa criticized Akon's recent statements during a U.S. talk show appearance, where the *Locked Up* singer described himself as a major force behind the global rise of Afrobeats in the late 2000s. Akon also claimed to have signed **Wizkid** and collaborated with Nigerian artists, suggesting those moves gave birth to the genre’s international success.
But Cabasa wasn’t buying it.
“Akon no create Afrobeats,” he said bluntly in Pidgin English. “The genre has always been a cultural movement shaped by many Nigerian artists before he ever came into the picture.”
While acknowledging Akon’s contributions to the global exposure of Nigerian music — particularly in the realms of branding and international collaborations — Cabasa emphasized that Afrobeats had deep local roots long before Akon got involved.
He referenced the likes of 2Baba (2Face Idibia), 9ice, and Timaya, who were making waves in Nigeria and across Africa well before Akon partnered with Nigerian music executives.
Cabasa also corrected Akon’s narrative around Wizkid’s early career, clarifying that it was Banky W who first discovered and signed the Starboy to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME)— the label that later partnered with Akon’s Konvict Music.
“Make he no dey talk say na he sign Wizkid first,” Cabasa said. “Banky W na the person wey bring Wizkid to the limelight. Akon only joined in later, mostly on the distribution side.”
Cabasa warned against oversimplifying or rewriting the history of Afrobeats, stressing that the genre’s evolution cannot be attributed to a single individual.
“Afrobeats no be the work of one man. It is the product of a people, a sound, and a movement. Akon might have played a part, but he didn’t create it,” he added.
The veteran producer’s remarks have since sparked fresh conversations across social media, with many Nigerians rallying behind his assertion that Afrobeats is a collective cultural heritage, not the brainchild of any foreign collaborator.
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