Truth! – Fuji Music Insiders Wade Into Taye Currency’s Claim Pasuma Rose To Stardom Copying Oberese

Keen followers of Fuji music have stepped into the controversy stirred by musician Taye Currency (Taye Akande Adebisi), who claimed that Pasuma (Wasiu Alabi Odetola) rose to stardom by copying Obesere (Abass Akande). Taye Currency’s assertion, despite being a junior to both musicians and fiercely loyal to Pasuma, sparked a lot of reactions.

Interestingly, many argue that Currency, who initially performed under the stage name Taye Paso—basically as a Pasuma replica—actually has a point.

“You’ve got to understand the context,” say insiders. “It’s true Taye Currency started as Taye Paso, singing exactly like Pasuma and riding on his fame. And yes, Pasuma did leverage Obesere’s popularity to gain recognition. Obesere was already an established artist who gave Pasuma opportunities to become better known.”

Checks revealed that Obesere, after years of being barely recognized, hit prominence by incorporating lewd, street-level slang into his songs. He dubbed his brand of music Asakasa (bad conduct), which he used as the title of one of his albums.

Obesere became a Jheri curl-wearing whirlwind on the streets, even self-naming himself the “African Fuji Michael Jackson”—a Fuji version of the late King of Pop. His breakout album Introduction dropped in 1992, followed by Mr Magic in the same year.

Obesere’s popularity was so immense that he consistently packed Stadium Hotel in Surulere, Lagos, while Pasuma, still struggling for recognition, was performing at Ariya Night Club.

“What usually happened was that Pasuma would come over to the Stadium Hotel, and Obesere would give him a chance to perform,” insiders revealed.

And added that “since Asakasa was what the audience wanted to hear, Pasuma would sing Obesere’s songs, and he gradually started adopting the style and slang elsewhere. So yes, Taye Currency is correct. If you listen to many of their live performances from the ’90s and early 2000s, you can hear the similarities.”

However, some believe Taye Currency’s claim isn’t entirely accurate.

“If you really look at it, Obesere and Pasuma have distinct styles of Fuji music, so it’s not like one was copying the other in a major way,” another source said.

“But if you’re talking about adopting peculiar traits, then Taye Currency’s partially correct. Pasuma definitely noticed how Obesere’s lewd language was selling, so he started infusing Obesere’s slang into his own music. But their core delivery has remained different over the years” gospellers of this position insist.

Pasuma released his first album, Recognition, in 1993, but it was Orobokibo—which borrowed from Obesere’s Asakasa style—that gave him prominence.

In further support of Taye Currency’s claim, insiders say Pasuma’s live performances during that period were filled with slang popularized by Obesere.

“Until he made a slip up when he signed with Bayowa Records (owned by Gbenga Adewusi), Obesere was definitely the trendsetter,” say those familiar with that era.

Reportedly, at the urging of his marketer, Obesere attempted to stir up controversy by wearing female clothing, but it backfired, causing him to lose fans.

“Nigeria wasn’t ready for that back then. Cross-dressing was a no-go area. Pasuma, meanwhile, stuck to his game and leveraged that slip-up to gain wider acceptance. He hasn’t looked back since,” according to sources.