“How Wizkid and I invented Afrobeats” — Samklef spills

Popular Nigerian music producer and singer, Samuel Oguachuba, best known as Samklef is of the claim that both he and Nigerian superstar, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, came about Afrobeats for the music industry.

Taking to microblogging platform, X formerly, Twitter, on Monday, the music producer stated that Nigerian contemporary music never had a genre and definite title until he, alongside Wizkid named the music industry Afrobeats in 2010.

The singer of “Molowo Noni” claimed that although the Nigerian music pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is credited with inventing Afrobeats, Wizkid’s rise to fame as a producer in the past ten years, which he helped to bring about, heralded a new era for the country’s modern music industry. They both deserve credit for the “magic” and name Afrobeats, the singer said.

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 came 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 first album, ‘Superstar,’ which was released in June 2011.

Wizkid shot to fame in 2009 after signing a record contract with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E).

The Grammy-winning singer is generally regarded as one of Africa’s top music performers, and he has delivered a slew of additional successful songs since his breakthrough single, “Holla at Your Boy” — the first single off his debut studio album, ‘singer’ — was released in 2011.