FEMI ATOYEBI , bares his mind on the origin of fuji
music
What is your real name ?
My real name is Akorede Babatunde Okunola .
However , I am popularly known as Saheed Osupa ,
the creator of Saridon P fuji music . I was born in
Lagos but I was brought to Ibadan as a boy . I stayed
with my mother at Mosafejo and later, Ajegunle area
of Lagos and I will say that those environments
triggered my career in fuji music.
Who was your fuji hero at that time ?
I listened to the music of the late Sikiru Ayinde
Barrister and Kollington Ayinla. Wasiu Ayinde was
just coming up then. As a youth, I associated myself
with lower- class people , so I felt their pulse . A guy
named Razak led a group of five boys to play fuji
music. When I joined them , people preferred my
voice and as a result , I started leading the chorus .
Razak’ s parents discouraged him from singing , so he
pulled out while I continued as the group leader .
What do you consider to be the origin of fuji
music ?
When I began singing fuji music, I was not aware of
the fact that my father was once a musician because I
did not stay with him. When I began to record
albums , I met my father who asked me if I was really
interested in the music. I answered yes, so he sat me
down to tell me the story behind what is today called
fuji music.
He told me about himself, Epo Akara, Gani Kuti and
Wasiu Anifowose (not Wasiu Ayinde ). My father told
me that the origin of fuji music is kiriboto , which
were the songs of the masquerade in Yoruba
traditional system. He also told me that the occultic
part of the kiriboto lyrics was removed so that it
would appeal to other religious faithful .
The music extracted from kiriboto was called etiyeri .
Part of it was also called seli. After etiyeri and seli
were extracted from kiriboto , they thought of how to
make the new types of music appeal to the Muslims
and that led to the creation of were music which is
used to wake Muslims during the month of
Ramadan.
Were music became popular in Yorubaland over the
years but the were music in Ibadan changed at a time
to awurebe through the creative ability of Gani Kuti.
He did this so that the song could be rendered at
social functions since were had its own season .
My father and his peers created the etiyeri genre but
they did not join Kuti in singing awurebe. My father
said while he was working on how to adapt the
etiyeri kind of were to another type of music ,
awurebe gained prominence in Ibadan .
The late Dauda Epo Akara later modernised awurebe
and made it more popular . That is why people think
Epo Akara was the creator of awurebe music.
What was the role of Barrister in all these?
The late Ayinde Barrister was an Ibadan man who
lived in Ibadan and Lagos at the time of all the
creations. In Lagos , part of were music was adapted
to sakara music . Because he was familiar with
awurebe in Ibadan and sakara in Lagos, Barrister
then thought of a way to modernise awurebe and
sakara . It was from there that he created fuji music.
Barrister is the progenitor of fuji music. After he
started fuji music, Lagos and Yoruba people accepted
it and it became the most popular music.
You must have heard the statement of Wasiu
Ayinde , K 1 d Ultimate, that Barrister did not
create fuji . What is your opinion ?
When I heard about the statement credited to Wasiu
Ayinde , I contacted him and told him that after
watching the interview, I was not happy with his
utterances about Barrister . I told him that he
( Ultimate ) once told me that he was a servant of the
fuji creator. I asked him why he would be profaning
the personality of his master . I also told him that
what he had done amounted to sacrilege.
If you are debasing your oracle, that is sacrilege .
Barrister is still too important to be disrespected in
fuji music. I made attempt to tell him the real history
of fuji music as told by my father. I also told him
how important Barrister was in the creation of fuji
music. The people he was quoting as the creators of
fuji only sang were .
But when it got to a level where the conversation
was degenerating to an argument, I backed off
because he is an elderly person that I respect . I had
to be mature about it but I was able to express my
mind .
If Wasiu Ayinde is saying that Barrister did not start
fuji , he is probably saying so because fuji is an
adaptation of several kinds of music genres that
began a long time ago . But the name fuji and the
combination of series of music adapted from several
types of music were the initiative of Barrister . If
anyone says he did not create fuji, that person is
wrong.
From the story you have told , Barrister created
fuji from some music genres and others did the
same from other music, starting from kiriboto.
Why has no one created a new music from fuji
instead of singing same old fuji ?
That is what has been causing the controversy in the
fuji music industry . Kuti started awurebe while Epo
Akara modernised it . People have forgotten that Kuti
was the creator but they gave Epo Akara the credit .
Wasiu Ayinde ( Ultimate ) tried to do the same by
introducing classical system into it but people still
prefer to call his music fuji. He even tried to call it
Talazo but people called it Talazo fuji, meaning that
whatever name you give it , it remains fuji music.
My music is Saridon P fuji , Alabi Pasuma calls his
own Pasuma fuji , Shina Akanni calls his own Skopido
fuji while Adewale Ayuba’ s own is called Bubble fuji .
Abass Akande Obesere says his own music is
Omorapala fuji but we are all singing fuji music .
Wasiu Ayinde (Ultimate ) did a lot of alteration to fuji
but the name has not changed. He modernised it in
such a way that anyone can wake up and sing his
own kind of fuji music but I brought back the
original flavour of fuji music .
Despite the fact that I am not using the old voice , I
brought back the old content which includes moral
messages . Fuji must preach moral and good
messages . This is what is causing problems among
fuji musicians.
What are you doing to immortalise Barrister ?
Everybody has his own plan and concept of
immortalising the man . But this can only be
achieved when there is unity. Someone said Ayinde
Barrister ’ s successors are not being vibrant after his
death . But this is not true . I have done exceptional
things in fuji. I have released four albums at once
which no one has ever done . The maximum I have
seen is a three - in -one album . Obesere was first to
release a two -in - one album . I have a pile of 10
albums that can be released at once . This was what
prompted Ayinde Barrister to name me King of Fuji.
Is there unity among fuji artistes?
All these superiority fight will take us nowhere .
There is no unity in the fuji industry . Success is not
all about how far but how well . If you began to do
something many years ago and someone starts after
you and possesses the intellectual ability to do better,
he will surely be recognised. But our people have
refused to give honour to whom honour is due . The
late Ayinde Barrister will always deserve honour.
What are you doing to protect the future of fuji ?
Because of poverty, many people see fuji as a way
out to make income . People also see fuji as a weapon
to douse anger so they attend fuji shows to dance
away their sorrow and anger . Fuji music is grass -
roots music that cannot be taken away from the
people. Fuji has a big future .
We have an association called Fuji Musician
Association of Nigeria but it has been politicised by
some actors . People are trying to create false history
for themselves. They are trying to call themselves
what they are not, so they use all avenues like
FUMAN to achieve their selfish aims. I am not a
controversial artiste but I like to be blunt and that is
the problem I am having with some people.
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