According to Nigerian rapper Panshak Henry Zamani, better known by his stage name Ice Prince, his 2011 song “Oleku,” which features Brymo, is the first to be labeled as “Afrobeats.”

He claimed that while he and his group were sending “Oleku” to foreign radio stations, they made the decision to add a “s” to the word “afrobeat,” which was coined by Fela Kuti, in order to give their new sound a distinct identity.

The rapper clarified that DJ Abrante, a Ghanaian-British disc jockey, is commonly credited with creating the genre because he was the one who playlisted “Oleku,” emphasizing that the DJ used the term “Afrobeats” at his and his team’s request.

Ice Prince recently stated in an interview with Echoo Room that “Oleku” was among the first songs to be played on BBC Radio. Among the first Afrobeats songs to be included in playlists. Furthermore, our music was not recognized at the time by foreign DJs, who were unable to categorize it as Afrobeat. To make it Afrobeats, my team and I instructed them to add a “s.”

“Review the history; the first Afrobeats record was ‘Oleku.'” We added the “s” because they had to label it for a radio station. If not, could you please tell me who thought of the final “s”? Many claimed that DJ Abrante was the author, but guess what? Abrante was