The seeming uproar over the comparison between the late Afrobeat progenitor, Olufela Anikulapo Kuti, and successful Afrobeats poster boy, Wizkid, in recent times has been likened to a storm in a teacup.
A number of individuals – ranging from music enthusiasts, politicians, music practitioners – have suddenly found not only a voice but a reason to support one of the two to the chagrin of fans and supporters of the other.
The whole informal debate was ignited when Seun Kuti, one of the sons of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, accused a cross section of Wizkid’s fans on social media, known as Wizkid FC, of igniting feuds between Wizkid and his colleagues. It was further heightened when he urged Wizkid to caution his cult-like supporters from comparing the singer with Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
The conversation continued to drag with Seun Kuti calling out the Wizkid FC and insisting Wizkid should put an end to their fallacies and untenable claims.
Wizkid remained unresponsive despite the continued jabs until mid this week when he posted a now deleted Instagram story saying, “Pussy boy @thenigbirdkuti ok I big pass your papa!!! Wetin u one do? Fool at 40! @bigbirdkuti I’m Big Wiz, everyday bigger than your papa!! Wetin u one do, fool? Hungry bastard.”
The response, expectedly, irked members of the Kuti family, especially Seun and one of his sisters, Motunrayo. The two children of the late Kuti took several shots at Wizkid and his parents, hence escalating a comparison that should not have been on the front burner.
Seun Kuti and Motunrayo took turns to berate Wizkid while Seun told Wizkid to replace the Fela’s image tattoo on his arm with his father’s face.
Lending support to Wizkid, one of his record producers, Samklef took the conversation to another lane by claiming that the late Fela didn’t create Afrobeat but rather jacked it from the late Orlando Julius.
However, ex-senator Babafemi Ojudu, Baba Fryo, and Daddy Freeze, berated Wizkid for claiming to be greater than the late Fela Kuti.
Ojudu, in two separate submissions on Facebook noted that Fela remains one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, a feat Wizkid is yet to achieve. He further stressed that Fela remains a cultural icon whose life inspired Broadway productions, documentaries, books, and academic studies. And finally submitted that Fela remains a symbol of African resistance and intellectual freedom, a feat yet to be achieved by Wizkid.
For Baba Fryo, his submission aptly calls for retrospect by younger artists saying, “I just dey shame for this Gen Z. How can these kids compare a kid to an elder? Fela was a great musician, a multi-instrumentalist, and a revolutionist. He wasn’t just an artist but a full-time musician, and he remained relevant for over 30 years until the day he died.”
Also, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, weighed in on the conversation in a post on his X handle.
Charly Boy dismissed the comparison as unnecessary, describing it as a clash of different eras and purposes.
The 75-year-old acknowledged the immense success and influence of both artists but stressed that their impacts in music serve fundamentally different era.
In his words, “Wizkid dey sing for crowd, stadium full, light dey flash, money dey talk, awards dey stack, world dey shout: Starboy! Fela no need spotlight, him own be fire for chest, kalakuta be him stage. Truth be hin microphone,” he wrote.
“One dey rule charts, one dey rule conscience. One dey give sweet escape, one dey give hard reality.”
Charly Boy further stressed that the answer on who is bigger between Fela and Wizkid ultimately depends on personal values and perspective. He noted that Wizkid may come out on top when measured by popularity and commercial success, while Fela remains unmatched when judged by his activism and fight for freedom.
“Different time, different battle, different kind of greatness. No be who big pass… Na who touch your soul pass,” Charly Boss added.
In the same vein, Daddy Freeze, who also weighed in on the discourse, opined that Wizkid can’t be compared to Fela, stressing that the late Afrobeat legend’s influence surpasses music.
He noted that Fela wasn’t just a musician but also a staunch activist and philanthropist.
“We are talking about music, but I cannot talk about Fela, if I don’t talk about everything he stood for. His activism and music went hand-in-glove. You can’t separate the two.”
Wizkid drew the seeming last blood of the day when he tweeted a sarcasm on X saying, “Ok everybody better pass Wizkid! Can we all sleep now? Fela fight for freedom this fool Dey fight fc! Oloshi Omo ale! Never go back and forth with a pig that lives in the mud. 2026 get yours!”
As the online ruckus continued, neither Femi Kuti, nor Made Kuti have reacted or made any statement on the controversy.
Until now, Wizkid enjoys a warm relationship with the Kuti family, as he had performed at the New Afrikan shrine at different points and even featured Femi Kuti on one of his hit songs, ‘Jaiye Jaiye.’ Femi Kuti, in an old interview, said Wizkid supports Felabration, and will always honour Felabration except he’s occupied and outside the shores of Nigeria. He summed it up saying Wizkid is like family. He went further to say Wizkid is a very nice and humble person, who appreciates his family and the life he has.
As many have asserted, there is no basis for comparison between Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Wizkid and whoever fueled the comparison is either naive to the world of both music stars or consciously trying to stir controversy.
Fela, as rightly posited, is not just a musician but a collaboration of many facets into one being, a movement while in his own right, Wizkid is a music star, who taps from the works of Fela and is walking in his strides to make a statement in the world of music.
