ID Cabasa shared how a conversation with Olamide inspired his upcoming project

Veteran Nigerian producer and music executive ID Cabasa, in a recent interview on Rubbing Minds, shared that the desire to strengthen Afrobeats’ identity is the motivation behind his upcoming album.

According to him, in a conversation with Olamide about Afrobeats and its identity, I found there is a lacuna around its history.

“Olamide mentioned that we should probably bring back some of the sounds that shaped the Afrobeats, and it resonated with what I was planning to do”.

The legendary music producer and label boss further clarified his stance on the statement by Akon, who, in an interview with Sherri Shepherd, claimed that he discovered Wizkid and took credit for blowing up Afrobeats globally.

ID Cabasa stated that while Akon played his part in aiding the exportation of Afrobeats, the genre was already thriving, and some stars had played major roles in advancing the music.

Cabasa mentioned that the current commercial success of Nigerian mainstream pop music is the result of a collective effort of stars that spans the entire length of Afrobeats’ history.

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ID Cabasa also shared that there’s a need for some level of gatekeeping in Afrobeats. He opined that while the creative aspect of the music can’t be gatekept, Nigerians need to always be at the forefront of the conversation.

It’s this desire to promote education and cultural preservation that inspired him to create a reimagination of classic Afrobeats songs.

So far, he has released several reimagined songs, including a new take on 9ice‘s ‘Photocopy’ and Styl Plus‘ ‘Olufunmi’.

You can watch ID Cabasa’s full interview on Rubbing Minds below.