Fela Kuti
The life of Fela is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him captivating. People who love him will overlook his shortcomings.
His songs are often 20 minutes long or longer, and sung in a slurred Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and jazz, classical music Yoruba music, chant, and horn-and-guitar heavy highlife.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music is a tool for change. He utilized his music to call for social and political changes, and his influence is still present in the world in the present. His musical style, Afrobeat, is a combination of African and Western influences. Its roots lie in West-African hip-life music and funk however, it has evolved into its own style.
His political activism was intense and he took action without fear. He used his music as a protest against government corruption and human rights abuses. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were daring criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as a hub for political activism as well as an opportunity to meet people who were like-minded.
The play features a huge portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a renowned feminist and activist. The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs, who has successfully depicted her importance in the life of Fela. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her deteriorating condition she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she took traditional medicine.
He was a singer
Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who utilized music to bring about changes in the political landscape. He is known for creating Afrobeat, which is a blend of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was also a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.
Fela's mother was a suffragist who was anti-colonial and it's not surprising that he has a love for political commentary and social commentary. His parents hoped that he would eventually become a doctor but he had other ideas.
While he initially sounded in a more apolitical highlife vein, a trip to America would change his outlook forever. Exposure to Black power movements and leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver had a profound effect on his music. He developed the Pan-Africanism philosophy, that would influence and guide his later work.
He was a music producer
While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. The experience inspired him to create a political movement called the Movement of the People, and to write songs that expressed his thoughts about black activism and political consciousness. His ideas were expressed in public via the medium of yabis, an art of public speaking that is referred to as "freedom of expression". He also began to enforce an uncompromising code of ethics for his band, including refusing to receive medication from Western-trained doctors.
Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja. The police and military officials were constant. The Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers-on who he had re the area around the club with hard drugs, including 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). Fela kept his integrity regardless of this. His music is a testimony to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that the popular will be reflected in official goals. It is an extraordinary legacy that will last for generations to be.
He was a poet
Fela's music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to bring attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his audience, the government, and himself. In these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities, and he suffered repeated arrests and imprisonments, as well as beatings at the hands of authorities. He eventually took the name Anikulapo, meaning "he carries death in his pouch."
In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers with mindless zombies who followed orders without question. The military was irritated by this and conducted a raid on Kalakuta Republic. They burned it down and beat its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown from her second-floor through a window.
Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that followed the country's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with indigenous African rhythm. His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans who violated their country's customs. He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.
He was a hip-hop artist
A trumpeter, saxophonist and composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He was heavily influenced by jazz, rock and roll as well as traditional African music, chants, and music. After his trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas affected his work profoundly.
When he returned to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a tool for political purposes. He was critical of the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social inequities and human rights violations and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.
Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa and is referred to as "igbo". He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule government officials and express his views on the freedom of expression as well as the beauty of women's body. fela settlements had an harem, which was an ensemble of young women who performed at his shows, and also supported him vocally.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master at musical fusion. He combined elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife into his own unique style. He was a prominent African musician and vocal critic of colonial rule.
Fela refused to be tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta, as well being a witness to the murder of his mother. He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was an activist for the political cause who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both the government and colonial political parties. He also pushed for black-power and criticized Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide the people of Africa. The title track from the album from 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crammed public busses full of poor people "shuffering and smiling." Fela was a strong opponent of hypocrisy in religion. Fela's music was in turn complemented by his dancers, who were vibrant elegant, sensual, and beautiful. Their contributions were just as important as Fela's words.
He was a political activist
Fela Kuti utilized music as a way to challenge unjust authorities. He transformed his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes making music that was ready for fight. The majority of his songs start with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers riffs, long-lined melody lines and other elements until they explode with urgency.
Contrary to the majority of artists, who were hesitant to speak out about their politics, Fela was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was a protestant minister and the president of the teachers' union.
He also established Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic, destroying property and severely injuring Fela. He refused to relent, though, and continued to voice his opinion against the government. He died of complications from AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry his legacy of music and politics.
He was a father
Music is often viewed as a form of political protest, with musicians using lyrics to demand change. Some of the most powerful music performances are not accompanied by words. Fela Kuti was one such artist and his music still rings out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and hip-hop, influenced by artists such as James Brown.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist who fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in a Nigeria that was serving its entire population.
Fela's son Seun continues his father's legacy, through the band Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The band's music combines the music and politics of Fela's day with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that are still in place today. Black Times will be released by the end of March. A large number of fans attended the funeral and paid their respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so large that police were forced to shut off the entrance to the venue.