The Truth About the Creation of Fuji Music

1. I was shocked when I saw Wasiu Ayinde on video claim that Barrister did not create Fuji music!

2. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister (SAB) started his music career in 1958 by playing 'were' in an area known as Masewele in Mushin, Lagos under Muraina Ajao. He was there for 8 years. SAB did not create 'were' and he paid homage to those who played 'were' before him (see number 10 below).

3. ‘Barrister and his AJISAARI group’ released his first were album in 1966 and he was the first to release a Fuji album in 1967 under ‘Barrister and his FUJI group’. Barrister created Fuji in 1966 from 'were', 'sakara' and others. Monsuru Akande started in 1963/64 and released his WERE (not Fuji) album a week before Barrister’s WERE album in 1966. Kollington Ayinla also started in 1963 but released his Fuji album in 1973/74.

4. After creating Fuji from 'were' and sakara, SAB defined Fuji music in his Fuji Raggae Series 2 album (1979) as being the ‘combination of music consisting of sakara, apala, juju, Afro, gudugudu, aro…possibly highlife’. He continued by saying he could mould the music as he liked. Nobody contradicted him on this authoritative definition. SAB also sang that ‘Fuji sound is a new system for you.’ No one disagreed with him.

5. Wasiu Ayinde joined Barrister Organization in 1974 (as a 'packer') and left around 1979. He released his first album in 1981. Wasiu accepted that Barrister created Fuji music when he sang ‘Sikiru mi Ayinde Commander, FUJI CREATOR mi SK erin’ in that 1981 album. By that 1981, SAB had released 38 records.

6. When Wasiu became strong, after using Barrister’s name and songs to rise, he dropped his earlier adopted name of Wasiu Ayinde Barrister and started running down Barrister by saying he did not create Fuji music!!!

7. Kollington Ayinla, another great Fuji musician and Wasiu’s senior, has never denied that Barrister created Fuji. Kollington only advised that they should focus on other things apart from who created Fuji.

8. All other Fuji musicians (Iyanda Sawaba – started Fuji around 1965, Shina Akanni, Fancy Aye Alamu, Adewale Ayuba, Besco Azeez, Abass Obesere, Pasuma, Saheed Osupa, Shefiu Alao,Taye Currency, etc) agreed that SAB created Fuji from 'were'. Many of these musicians are senior or junior or contemporaries to Wasiu Ayinde. So which Fuji musician is with Wasiu?

9. In his Flavour album where he sang the controversial ‘Orin d’owo’ song, Wasiu erroneously described 'were' musicians as Fuji musicians. None of those he mentioned (Sikiru omo Abiba of Offin, Ajadi Ganiyu of Oluwole, Ayinde Muniru Mayegun, Kawu Aminu, Saka Layigbade, Mufu, Ayinde of Agarawu, Ajadi Ewe Ina, Jibowu Barrister, Kasali Jolly, Abinuwaye Bashiru, Dauda Epo Akara, Akande Monsuru) claimed to sing Fuji. Does Wasiu know the type of music they sang more than the singers themselves? Wasiu also compounded the error by classifying Jibowu Barrister, who never sang but was only a captain/composer, as a 'were' musician. He also described Epo Akara, an awurebe exponent, as having sung Fuji.

10. Wasiu obviously forgot that many years before his Flavour album, Barrister had recognized the 'were' singers. In his Fertilizer album, Barrister sang that ‘iba fun gbogbo agbagba ninu ajisari ninu oniwere’ (my respect to all those who sang were before me) - Baba Raliatu l’Eko Ile, Thaliman n’Isale Eko, Sikiru omo Onisemo, Ajadi Ganiyu of Oluwole, Jolly l’awa Kasali, Kawu Aminu, Sakaniyau Olayigbade, Abinuwaye Basiru, Ayinla Yekini, Muniru Ayinde, and Taye Aileru). In fact, Barrister embraced Kawu Aminu and physically acknowledged his seniority in WERE music at LTV8 in 2008.

11. Wasiu contradicted himself in the Flavour album by saying that ‘gbogbo awon to ti nlu Fuji l’atijo ri, l’ataye aye ajisari, aye ajiwere, ko to wa dori Fuji ti isinyi’ (those who started singing Fuji from the time of old right from when it was 'were'’. What does this mean? Is he saying all those people sang Fuji and 'were' at the same time? Did Sikiru of Offin and Ajadi Ganiyu or Dauda Epo Akara, etc ever say they played Fuji? He continued the song that it was when it got to SAB that the music got to a turning point (ori e sa lere ti yi pada). How does one resolve all this confusion and contradiction from Wasiu? Don’t forget that the same Wasiu accepted SAB as the Fuji creator in his 1981 album!!! See number 5 above.

12. Important personalities who saw the birth of Fuji by Barrister (e.g. Alhaji Adisa Osiefa, Alhaji Buari Oloto, Oba Fatai Irawo - Oba of Odi Olowo, Lagos, etc), also stated clearly that Barrister created Fuji.

13. The question is: what does Wasiu want to achieve by turning history upside down and rubbishing the memory of his dead mentor and benefactor? What does he want to gain by denying that Barrister did not create Fuji? No matter his reason(s), he should remember that what goes around comes around.

14. Barrister was one of the most prolific musicians Nigeria has produced. He released over 60 albums between 1972 and 2008. It is not good to rubbish the memory or destroy the legacy of a man like this. Let’s remember God in all we do. Wasiu has shown that he is an ingrate and a bad person. If he could do this to Barrister, a dead man, then who is safe with him?

15. Wasiu is free to change the name of his music from Fuji to Fuja or whatever but it is idiotic to try to say that Barrister did not create Fuji music.

16. Rest in Peace Sikiru Ayinde Barrister Balogun, the unforgettable pioneer of Fuji.
By: frankadeolug@gmail.com

Denying Barrister the credit of creating Fuji because it originated from 'were' is like denying Fela the credit of creating Afrobeats because it originated from highlife.

Denying that Ayinde Barrister did not create Fuji because 'were' existed before it is like denying that Epo Akara didn't create Awurebe because 'were existed before it.

Activa:
Denying that Ayinde Barrister did not create Fuji because 'were' existed before it is like denying that Epo Akara didn't create Awurebe because 'were existed before it.

Sorry my man u want comments but people are not responding coz those fuji artists are too local.

Honestly i really praise u for finding time to create a thread for something like fuji music,a genre that talk about how many wives,houses,cars they have and leave d music out of it.The fuji genre is full of hatred coz d artist are just too damn locals and myopic,the greatest percentage of fans'oh my God'out of it.

What is our business with who created Fuji,did u ever heard of who created Juju music or any other genres of music but it is always fuji musicians at longer head on top nothing and is affecting d fuji.

It's d brand that u w see somebody like Obesere telling who cares to listen he is richer than Wasiu and some dummy fans we started argue blindly when it's glaring Wasiu is richer.Honestly i listen to fuji music but of recent am put off.

It's not d faults of this generation but d fault of Barrister and Kollington who took their rivalry to d extreme and d young Fuji artists see it as culture to use fugal language against each other.

Honestly i don't want to respond to your comment coz it was one sided evaluation of d issue and attack on Wasiu personality like wasiu was a parker before or some people started before K1 is not an issue.For example Obey worked under Fatai Rolling Dollar but tell me who has his finger print on juju music between d duo.Sunny Ade serves Baba Sala.Tuface was a back up singer to weird MC,also Timaya served under Eedris Abdulkareem.Iyanya was discovered by KC.So what a fuss about K1 being a parker under Barrister.

This are d issues i have with Fuji,so being a parker is a sin.Wasiu Ayinde was a rooted guy in Fuji music and that has been d reason he is ahead even Barry and Kola cannot say who is wasiu.

Pls K1 de ultimate deserves some respect when u are trying to analyse or post a comment about him.I'm not saying u should love him but your post was to attack and ridicule him.

Mind u it's not how far but how well,Ayinde Wasiu is a pillar of Fuji and people who are not sentimental knew it even d two Fuji lords Barry and kola knows that K1 contributions to d genre is enormous.

pls stop comparing K1 to any Fuji musicians coz d gap between him and others is wide.If i may ask who is Iyanda Sawaba when w talk of Fuji,pls forget age or somebody started in 1965 or do u think it is easy for Wasiu to break d monopoly of Barrister and Kollington.

Truly there are people before Barrister who sing 'were' and remember Barrister started with 'were'before changing it to fuji music which south western Nigeria accepted.

Pls go and listen to K1 de ultimate Flavour especially a track 'orin dowo' it's very simple,K1 need to go to d evolution of fuji music coz historically u cannot separate 'were' from fuji.

I remember wasiu sang about those who started d 'were' and when he reached d turn of praising Barrister he said it was Barrister that turned 'were' to fuji which mean Barrister was d creator of Fuji.

So what does people expect again coz i don't see any meaning to this noise of fuji creator. The same issue always played itself out between Barrister and Kollington,though kebe kwara sometimes always went too far which i don't like coz Barrister deserves that respect for carving Fuji out of 'were'

Also d pride and arrogance of Barrister which wasiu emulate led to all this crisis coz Barrister see himself all in all and Kollington believe truly that Barrister was d creator of fuji music but he carried it with arrogance.

We are still witnessing d same scenario till this moment coz some fuji artists are trying by all means to subdued d contributions of wasiu in fuji industry which is not possible.

It was always funny trying to rubbish somebody who single-handedly created an association for Fuji artists known as FUMAN,even d two protagonists of Fuji music did not think along that line,it was K1's idea.


I can tell u that wasiu contributions to fuji music is second to none and Barrister when he was alive attested to it that he did not do what wasiu did for Fuji music.

In a nutshell fuji is full of wahala and a lot of interest always coming into it like Ibadan axis vs Lagos Abeokuta axis with states like Osun,Kwara,Ekiti,Ondo fall into this axi

Very, very interesting discourse here. Well done @Activa and you too @Kog45...

I've always in my mind attributed the 'creation' or at least the precursor music to Fuji being Apala from people like Haruna Ishola... Nice to know its origins in better light.

If I'm mistaken, I think KWAM1 takes credit for introducing the bass guitar to Fuji?

Also, an issue of concern for me is the way Fuji sounds nowadays... it seems like arrant noise. In the 80's and 90's or when I was growing up at least, the sound seemed coordinated, melodious and professionally put together but to me now, its like just free-styling music by a bunch of rascals or is it just the so-called 'live' versions? I mean take Kollington, Barrister, Easy Sawaba et al, at least in the 90's and compare or am I wrong?

Additionally, Juju music - which I find more musical til date though I doubt I've heard any new thing of late - how did it come about if you know? That form of music seemed to have retained its musicality don't you think?

Cheers guys.

When I was growing up in the 80's 90's I found Fuji music very interesting and melodious with the likes of Kollington ayinla and sikiru ayinde barrister ,wasiu ayinde barrister den see also adewale ayuba shina akanni ,musibau alani ,shaura ,easy kabaka ,dauda epoakara...etc but now this 20's Fuji music is no more interest me with the new set of people singing it...