By Ayo Onikoyi
Nigerian comic and actor Stanley Chibunna, popularly often known as Funnybone, has weighed in on the continued on-line controversy involving Afrobeat singer Seun Kuti and followers of Wizkid, cautioning Seun in opposition to partaking in debates he says diminish the legacy of his late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Funnybone made his remarks in a video shared on his Instagram web page earlier within the week, reacting to the heated exchanges that adopted claims by some Wizkid followers that the Grammy-winning star is “greater” than Fela.
The net debate later escalated right into a direct conflict between Seun Kuti and Wizkid, after Wizkid responded to Seun by way of his Instagram Tales and on X (previously Twitter).
Addressing Seun, Funnybone argued that Fela’s legacy is simply too monumental to require on-line defence or comparability with modern artists.
“The honour is to uphold Fela’s legacy, and a part of it’s selecting conversations and comparisons you’ll delve into,” Funnybone stated. “While you delve into it, it’s now not you attempting to defend the person; you are actually demystifying the person’s legacy.”
In keeping with him, partaking with fan bases—notably youthful followers who weren’t alive throughout Fela’s lifetime—solely weakens the cultural weight and historic significance of the Afrobeat pioneer.
“His legacy is so massive that he doesn’t want you or anyone to defend it,” he acknowledged. “Most Wizkid FC folks weren’t born when Fela was alive. While you dabble into an argument with them, you aren’t defending the legacy; you might be watering down the efficiency of the legacy.”
Funnybone additional confused that Fela’s place in historical past is already safe, insisting that the late musician doesn’t require validation, advocacy, or comparability within the digital house.
“Fela doesn’t want advertising and marketing. Baba doesn’t want a lawyer. Baba doesn’t want an activist on-line to defend him. Baba na Baba,” he stated.
Utilizing a metaphor, the comic warned in regards to the penalties of elders partaking in trivial disputes, including that fixed commentary can erode one’s stature.
“When an elder begins to play with kids within the sand, grime will contact his physique,” Funnybone concluded. “The second you begin having an opinion on every thing, it diminishes your worth.”
The Wizkid–Fela comparability has continued to divide opinions on-line, with many cultural commentators arguing that each artistes belong to completely different eras and serve completely different cultural functions, making direct comparisons pointless.
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