Seun Kuti, the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has made a bold claim regarding the true origins of rap music.
During a recent interview, the Grammy-nominated musician and political activist asserted that his father was the unacknowledged architect of the rap genre long before it became a household name in the United States.
”Fela was the first person to rap, when he did it, we didn’t know it was going to be called ‘Rap.” Seun said.
Seun’s argument centers on Fela’s unique vocal delivery during the 1970s.
While the world viewed Fela’s performance as a blend of jazz, funk, and traditional African rhythms, Seun points to the rhythmic, spoken-word “tonal” delivery found in tracks like “Zombie” and “Beasts of No Nation” as the actual blueprint for modern MCing.
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Critics and musicologists have long debated the roots of Hip-Hop, usually citing the Bronx in the 1970s as its birthplace. However, Seun’s perspective suggests a deeper, trans-Atlantic connection, implying that the rhythmic “chanting” used by Fela to critique the Nigerian military government was, in essence, the first iteration of rap.
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Whether this claim will lead to a formal revision of music history remains to be seen, but it undoubtedly forces a re-evaluation of how West African polyrhythms laid the foundation for global urban culture.
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