Fela vs Wizkid: 2Face weighs in on the debate

2Face (2Baba) has weighed in on the Wizkid/Fela debate that has been fueling Nigerian social media for a few weeks. While calling it “ridiculous,” the Afrobeat star says the comparison is disrespectful to one and unfair to the other.

The debate is shaking up the Nigerian music scene: can we compare the contemporary superstar Wizkid to the historic monument Fela Kuti? The question, considered provocative by many, has found a new answer from another living legend. Innocent Idibia, better known as 2Face (or 2Baba), has taken a firm stance in the podcast Mic On, calling this juxtaposition purely “ridiculous”.

This controversy was rekindled after Wizkid declared himself “greater” than Fela, thus responding to the criticisms of Seun Kuti, son and musical heir of the Afrobeat pioneer. A statement that sparked widespread outrage in the country and beyond.

With the authority that his career commands, 2Face has untangled the threads of this controversy. For him, such a comparison is doubly faulty: it shows disrespect for the immense and revolutionary heritage of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, while also being unfair to Wizkid’s career and body of work. The performer of African Queen insists that juxtaposing these two icons means ignoring the radically different historical contexts in which they evolved, their distinct influences, and the unique nature of their respective contributions to Nigerian and African culture.

“To compare Fela to Wizkid is ridiculous. Not only is it disrespectful to Fela, but it’s also unfair to Wizkid,” the artist thus asserted, calling for celebrating each artist for what they are, rather than pitting them against each other in a vain generational battle.