Seun Kuti points to Fela’s 1980 album Authority Stealing as evidence, sparking debate over the true origins of rap and hip-hop.

Seun Kuti has reignited a global music debate after claiming that his late father, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, was the original inventor of rap music.

Speaking on the Hits Don’t Lie podcast, the 43-year-old musician argued that Fela was already rapping decades before the genre gained a name or mainstream recognition. According to Seun, elements of rap can be clearly heard on Fela’s 1980 album, Authority Stealing.

“Fela was the first person to rap,” Seun said. “He did a bit of rapping on Authority Stealing. When he did it, we didn’t know it was going to be called ‘rap.’”

Seun explained that his father’s spoken-word delivery, rhythmic phrasing and politically charged narratives closely resemble what later became known as rap music. He suggested that Fela’s innovative style laid an early foundation for the genre, even if it was not formally labeled at the time.

However, the claim has drawn pushback from music historians and hip-hop purists. Widely accepted accounts trace the birth of rap — and hip-hop culture — to the early 1970s in New York City, particularly in the Bronx. There, DJs at block parties began extending drum breaks from funk, soul and disco records, while MCs spoke rhythmically over the beats, giving rise to modern rap.

While Fela is universally celebrated for revolutionising Afrobeat and influencing generations of artists worldwide, critics argue that rap’s emergence was a collective cultural movement rooted in African-American urban communities rather than the work of a single individual.

Still, Seun’s remarks have reopened conversations about African influences on global music and whether early spoken-word performances like Fela’s deserve greater recognition in the story of rap’s evolution.

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