Rita Odafe
ID Cabasa, a seasoned Nigerian music producer, has responded to Akon’s assertion that he played a key role in developing the Afrobeats genre. Akon had previously claimed in an interview that his work with Nigerian artists from the late 2000s to the early 2010s was crucial to the emergence of Afrobeats.
During a discussion on Wazobia FM, ID Cabasa rejected Akon’s assertion, stating he does not deserve credit for the genre’s origins. While he acknowledged Akon’s collaborations with Nigerian musicians during that time, he emphasized that this involvement does not entitle Akon to claim he created Afrobeats. According to Cabasa, artists like 2Face, 9ice, and Timaya were already making waves long before Akon collaborated with stars like Wizkid and P-Square.
Furthermore, Cabasa challenged Akon’s statement that Wizkid was a local talent before being signed to his label in 2008. He clarified that it was Banky W who first recognized Wizkid’s potential and signed him to Empire Mates Entertainment, which later collaborated with Akon’s label.
Speaking in Pidgin, Cabasa remarked, “Akon should also say he discovered 2Face, Timaya, and others too. The people he met in Nigeria must have told him, ‘I’m the biggest person around here.’ He probably thinks he was at the forefront of the business and branding of Afrobeats.
“The way he talks about Wizkid isn’t accurate. We all know Banky W signed Wizkid. While we collaborated with Akon on distribution, that doesn’t mean he created Afrobeats. Afrobeats is a cultural phenomenon, not the product of a single person.”
