Nigerian singer Panshak Henry Zamani also known as Ice Prince has come out to boldly assert that his 2011 hit ‘Oleku’ featuring Brymo is the pioneering track officially labeled as “Afrobeats.”
Ice Prince and his team strategically decided to append an “s” to Afrobeat, a term pioneered by Fela Kuti, to carve out a distinct identity for their innovative sound during the global promotion of ‘Oleku’ to radio stations.
He elaborates that DJ Abrante, a Ghanaian-British disc jockey, is often credited with coining the term Afrobeats, given that he used the label while playlisting ‘Oleku,’ following the explicit direction of Ice Prince and his team.
In a recent interview with Echoo Room, Ice Prince underscores the historical significance of ‘Oleku,’ highlighting its early inclusion in the playlist of BBC Radio as one of the groundbreaking Afrobeats tracks.
He sheds light on the predicament faced by foreign DJs struggling to categorize their music, as Afrobeat was not a suitable label.
Ice Prince discloses that it was his initiative, along with his team, to introduce the “s” to make it Afrobeats. Defiantly challenging historical attributions, Ice Prince claims that ‘Oleku’ stands as the inaugural Afrobeats record, with the decision to add the “s” originating from his team, despite DJ Abrante’s association with the term due to playlisting the iconic song.
