Samklef, a prominent Nigerian music producer and musician, has claimed that he and Grammy award-winning star Ayodeji Balogun aka Wizkid created Afrobeats for the Nigerian music industry.
Samklef revealed this on Monday via his X Twitter, adding that until he and Wizkid named the music industry Afrobeats in 2010, Nigerian contemporary music had no genre or defined moniker.
The ‘Molowo Noni’ crooner stated that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a Nigerian music legend, created Afrobeats, but Wizkid’s rise to fame as a producer in the last decade, which he contributed to as a music producer, signaled a new dawn for contemporary Nigerian music industry, and they both deserve credit for the’magic’ and name Afrobeats.
Sharing a throwback video of himself and Wizkid on his X page on Monday, Samklef wrote:
“Meet the Nigerian two kids that created the afrobeats sound of today. As of 2009, Nigerian music had no title! Until these two created magic! 2010! Even the award categories in Nigeria were Best Hip Hop, Best R and B, Best Alternative Music and Best Reggae! There was nothing like Best Afrobeats! It was Wizkidayo who named it afrobeats! Know this and know peace! Fela created Afrobeat!”
When Wizkid rose to popularity in 2010, Samklef was one of his producers, and the music creative legend contributed to the development of hit songs on Starboy’s debut album, ‘Superstar,’ which was released in June 2011.
Wizkid shot to fame in 2009 after signing a record deal with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E).
The Grammy-winning singer is widely regarded as one of Africa’s top music performers, and he has delivered a slew of other successful songs since his breakout single, “Holla at Your Boy” — the lead single off his debut studio album, ‘singer’ — was released in 2011.
