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Fela Kuti

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Fela Kuti
human
Ein sex anaa gendermale Edit
Ein country of citizenshipNigeria Edit
Birth nameFela Anikulapo Kuti, Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti Edit
PseudonymAbami Eda, Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti Edit
Ein date of birth15 October 1938 Edit
Place dem born amAbeokuta Edit
Date wey edie2 August 1997 Edit
Place wey edieLagos Edit
Manner of deathnatural causes Edit
Cause of deathdeath from AIDS-related complications Edit
Ein poppieIsrael Olutodun Ransome-Kuti Edit
MummieFunmilayo Ransome-Kuti Edit
SiblingOlikoye Ransome-Kuti, Beko Ransome-Kuti Edit
Spouseunknown value, Remilekun Kuti Edit
KiddieFemi Kuti, Seun Kuti Edit
Languages edey speak, rep anaa signEnglish, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin Edit
Educate forTrinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Abeokuta Grammar School Edit
Work period (start)1958 Edit
Work period (end)1997 Edit
Political party ein memberMovement of the People Edit
Ethnic groupYoruba people Edit
DiscographyFela Kuti discography Edit
Genrejazz, highlife, Afrobeat Edit
Record labelWrasse Records, Barclay, JVC, EMI Edit
Influenced byOrlando Julius Edit
Significant eventprisoner of conscience Edit
Award e receiveAll African Music Legend Award Edit
Dema official websitehttp://www.felaproject.net Edit
Depicted byMy Friend Fela Edit
Personal pronounL485 Edit

Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (name dem take give am for birth be Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938[1] – 2 August 1997), aka Abami Eda, be Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, den Pan-Africanist. Everybro dey talk say ein carry afrobeat come. Afrobeat be Nigerian music genre wey dey combine West African music plus American funk den` jazz.[2] Den time na he dey de peak of ein popularity, na every bro dey talk sey ein be de most "challenging den charismatic music performer" for Africa.[3] Every music for ein era talk sey he be de "musical den sociopolitical voice" for ein time wey san get international significance.[4]

Kuti be son of Nigerian women rights champ, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After him waka plenty for abroad, e and him band Africa '70 (with drummer and music boss Tony Allen) burst come shine for Nigeria during 1970s, where e dey talk true as e no dey fear Nigeria military juntas[3]. For 1970, him start Kalakuta Republic commune wey show say dem no go fit control dem again. But dem destroy de commune for 1978 when army raid show, dem em plus him mama don injure, em mama no survive. [4]Government of Muhammadu Buhari lock am for prison in 1984, but after 20 months, dem free am. E still dey record and perform for 1980s and 1990s. Since e die for 1997, him son, Femi Kuti dey manage all him music reissues plus compilations.[3]

Ein Life plus career

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Ein early life

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De Ransome-Kuti family c 1940

Kuti[5] dey come from Ransome-Kuti family, dem dey upper-middle-class, born for 15 October 1938 for Abeokuta, Colonial Nigeria.[6] Him mama, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, na anti-colonial feminist, and him papa, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, na Anglican minister, school principal, and first president of Nigeria Union of Teachers.[7] Kuti paddy dem dey do plenty work for anti-colonial movement for Nigeria, especially Abeokuta Women Riot wey him mama lead for 1946.[8] Him brothers Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both na doctors, dem dey popular nationally.[4] Kuti be cousin[9] to Wole Soyinka, wey be writer and Nobel Prize winner for Literature.[10] Dem dey come from Josiah Ransome-Kuti, wey be Kuti papa side grandpapa and Soyinka mama side great-grandpapa.[11]

Kuti go Abeokuta Grammar School. For 1958, dem send am go London make e study medicine, but e decide say make e study music for Trinity College of Music, trumpet na him best instrument.[4] While e dey there, e form band wey dem call Koola Lobitos, and dem dey play jazz plus highlife mix.[12] Di band get people like Bayo Martins for drums and Wole Bucknor for piano.[13] For 1960, Kuti marry im first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, wey dem get three pikin together (Yeni, Femi, and Sola).[14] For 1963, Kuti come move back go di new independent Federation of Nigeria, re-form Koola Lobitos again, and him come learn as radio producer for Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. E play small time with Victor Olaiya plus him All-Stars.[15]

E call im style Afrobeat, mix of Apala, funk, jazz, highlife, salsa, calypso, and traditional Yoruba music. For 1969, Kuti carry di band go United States and stay for Los Angeles for ten months. While for there, e discover di Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (wey dem sabi as Sandra Izsadore or Sandra Akanke Isidore),[16] wey dey support di Black Panther Party. Dis experience really shape im music plus how e dey see politics.[17] E change di band name to Nigeria 70. Not long after, Immigration and Naturalization Service hear say Kuti and im band dey US without work permit. Di band do small recording session for Los Angeles wey later dem go release as The '69 Los Angeles Sessions.[18]

1970s

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After Kuti and him band come back Nigeria, dem change dem name to Africa '70 cause di songs don shift from love to social matter.[12] E form Kalakuta Republic—na place wey dey serve as commune, recording studio, and home for plenty people wey dey link with di band—wey later him come claim say e dey independent from di Nigerian state.

Kuti don set up nightclub for Empire Hotel. He first call am Afro-Spot but later change am to Afrika Shrine, where e dey perform regular and dey do special Yoruba traditional rites to honor im roots. E also change im name to Anikulapo (wey mean 'Person wey carry death for im bag', with meaning say: 'I go fit be master of my own destiny and go decide when death go come collect me').[4][19] He stop to use di hyphen name 'Ransome' sekof e no wan carry slave name for body.[20]

Kuti music dey popular for Nigeria plus Africa as whole.[21] E decide make e sing for Pidgin English so people for all over Africa fit enjoy im music, because de local languages wey dem sabi plenty and different. E music don blow well well for Nigeria and other places, but government no like am at all, and dem dey raid Kalakuta Republic too much. For 1972, Ginger Baker record Stratavarious, wey Kuti jam with vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench.[22] Around dis time, Kuti dey gree more for Yoruba religion.[2]

For 1977, Kuti and Africa 70 drop album wey dem call Zombie, wey e dey fire plenty shot for Nigerian soldiers, use zombie yawa to describe how dem dey work. The album blow big big, but e vex the government, wey come send 1,000 soldiers go raid Kalakuta Republic. During di wahala, dem beat Kuti well well, and him mama (di first woman wey drive car for Naija) get serious injury after dem throw am from window.[4] Di place burn down, Kuti studio, instruments, and master tapes scatter. Kuti say if no be for one officer wey come rescue am, dem for don kill am. As response to di attack, Kuti carry him mama coffin go Dodan Barracks for Lagos, wey Fada Olusegun Obasanjo dey stay, and he write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" plus "Unknown Soldier," referencing de official inquiry wey talk say an unknown soldier don destroy de commune.[23]

Kuti plus him band move enter Crossroads Hotel after dem don destroy the Shrine and de commune. For 1978, he marry 27 women, plenty of dem be dancers, composers, and singers wey he dey work with. The marriages no be just for celebrate the attack on Kalakuta Republic, but to protect Kuti plus him wives from some false claims say Kuti dey kidnap women.[24] Later, he come start to dey rotate 12 wives wey dey with am at once.[25] That year, two concerts happen: de first one for Accra, where wahala burst during the song 'Zombie', make dem ban Kuti from entering Ghana; de second one after Berlin Jazz Festival when plenty of Kuti's musicians leave am because dem hear rumor say he wan use all de money for him presidential campaign.

For 1978, Fela perform for Berliner Jazztage for Berlin with him band Africa 70. De fees no sweet dem, so Tony Allen, wey be band leader plus almost all de musicians, gree resign.[26] After that, Baryton player Lekan Animashaun take over as band leader and Fela start new group wey dem call Egypt 80. For 1979, Kuti form him political party, wey he name Movement of de People (MOP), to 'clean society like mop',[4] but e quickly turn inactive because of the wahala wey him get with the government. MOP dey preach Nkrumahism plus Africanism.[27][28]

1980s den beyond
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Two of Kuti's sons are musicians: Femi and Seun.

For 1980, Fela sign exclusive management with French producer Martin Meissonnier wey fit manage am sign record deal with Arista records London through A&R Tarquin Gotch. First album drop for February 1981 wey dem call am "Black President" wey get track "ITT" plus the B-Side be "Colonial Mentality" plus edited version of "Sorrow Tears and Blood" (those two tracks wey dem record with Africa 70 and Tony Allen no come out for Europe).[29] After dem release am, Fela do him first European tour (4 concerts for one week) with 70 people for him squad. The tour begin for Paris on March 15, 1981, with plenty crowd wey dem fit count am 10000 people,[30] then go Brussels, Wien and Strasbourg. "Black President" no long pass another album wey dem record for Paris for July 1981: "Original Sufferhead",[31] plus "Power Show" for the B-side. Fela still record track "Perambulator" for Paris. Arista give Fela im freedom back at de end of 1981.[32] French filmmaker Jean Jacques Flori waka come Lagos early 1982 to direct di classic film wey dem dey call "Music be Weapon". Dem show di film for Antenne 2 (French TV) for 1982. Di producer, Stephane Tchalgaldjieff no like di film, so e make am chop and change for international release.[33] "V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power)" and "Authority Stealing" drop for 1980, and di first one na live show wey dem do for Berlin, West Germany.

For 1983, Kuti dey nominate himself for president[4] for Nigeria first election wey don take place for long, but dem no gree am. E come create new band wey dem call Egypt 80, wey show say Egyptian civilization, knowledge, philosophy, mathematics, and religious beliefs na African own, and we suppose claim am. Kuti talk for interview say: "Make I make our people sabi say Egyptian civilization na African own. Na why I change my band name to Egypt 80."[34] Kuti dey continue record albums and dey tour country. E come vex political people more by mentioning ITT Corporation vice-president, Moshood Abiola, plus Obasanjo for hin popular 25-minute talk wey dem call "I.T.T. (International Thief-Thief)".[4]

For 1984, Muhammadu Buhari wey Kuti no gree, lock him up because dem talk say e dey carry money wey no be im own. Amnesty International and plenty other people talk say dem case na politics matter.[35] Amnesty even call am prisoner of conscience,[36] plus other human rights groups join for him side. After 20 months, General Ibrahim Babangida free am from jail. When e come out, Kuti chop him 12 wives. E talk say 'marriage dey bring jealousy plus selfishness' since ein wives dey always dey want show say dem better pass each other.[25][37]

Kuti dey drop albums with Egypt 80 and dey tour for USA and Europe while e still dey do politics. For 1986, e perform for Giants Stadium for New Jersey as part of Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope concert wey get Bono, Carlos Santana, and the Neville Brothers inside. For 1989, Kuti and Egypt 80 release the anti-apartheid album Beasts of No Nation wey show U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and South Africa President Pieter Willem Botha for cover. The title come from wetin Botha talk: 'This uprising [against apartheid] go bring that beast come out from, us.'[4]

Kuti's album drop slow down for 1990s, and e later stop drop album at all. On 21 January 1993,[38] em plus four guys from Africa 70 dey arrested and dem charge dem on 25 January for murder of electrician.[39] People talk say he dey sick but e no wan take treatment. But Kuti no talk anything wey go make dem confirm about this wahala.

Ein Death
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For 3 August 1997, Kuti brother Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, wey don dey fight AIDS matter[40] plus be ex-Minister of Health, talk say Kuti don die for di day wey pass from heart wahala sekof of AIDS complications.[41][42][43] Kuti be AIDS denialist, and him wife still dey argue say e no die from di sickness.[44][45]

Ein life matter

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Kuti marry 27 women at the same time for 1978.[46] Him youngest pikin, Seun, dey lead Kuti former band, Egypt 80. As we dey talk for 2022, the band still dey grind, dey drop music under Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 name.[47] Him other pikin dem be musicians Femi plus Yeni Kuti.[48]

Music

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Main article: Afrobeat
James Brown na an important American influence on Kuti ein musical style.

Music

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Kuti dey call him music style Afrobeat.[49] E be style wey he create well-well, blend jazz, funk, highlife, plus traditional Naija and African chants and rhythms. E get small touch of Afro-Cuban music, psychedelic soul, and e dey resemble James Brown music. Afrobeat dey chop plenty from native 'tinker pan'.[50] Tony Allen, wey be Kuti drummer for twenty years, really help bring Afrobeat come life. Tony drumming dey use 2 & 4 backbeat style small-small, but e dey craft time for hard-bop way, throwing strong downbeat, sometimes with double kick-drum for the 1. You fit hear clear connection between Kuti’s songs and electric-era Miles Davis, Sly Stone, plus Afrofunk papa Orlando Julius, plus how Davis plus Coltrane run demma mod arrangements for funk idiom.

Kuti's band dey different because dem get two baritone saxophones, when other bands dey use just one. Dis one na common way wey you go see for African music and style wey influence am, e dey show for funk and hip hop. Dem always get two or more guitar players. De electric West African style guitar wey dey for Afrobeat bands na key part of de sound, e dey help give am structure, wey dey play repeating chord or groove.

Some elements wey dey Kuti music na the call-and-response for chorus and the lyrics dey simple but deep. Him songs dey long well, at least 10–15 minutes, plenty go reach 20 or 30 minutes, and some unreleased tracks fit last up to 45 minutes live. This long thing be one of the plenty reasons wey him music no catch huge buzz outside Africa. Him LP records dey often get one 30-minute track for each side. Usually, dem go start with one 'instrumental introduction' jam section wey dey about 10–15 minutes long before Kuti go start sing the 'main' part of the song, wey go still dey for another 10–15 minutes. For some recordings, him songs dey split into two parts: Part 1 be de instrumental, den Part 2 him go add vocals.

Kuti dey sing plenty songs for Nigerian Pidgin English, but e don jam small songs for Yoruba too. Him main instruments na saxophone and keyboards, but e go still fit blow trumpet, electric guitar, and once-in-a-while drum solo. Kuti no gree perform songs wey him don record before, wey make im no too popular outside Africa.[citation needed]

Kuti songs dey talk plenty things wey no easy. E dey challenge wetin people sabi for inside political matter as e dey use song reply dem. Plenty of him songs dey show parody and satire too. De main gist wey him dey push for him music na how we fit find justice as we dey waka through political and social wahala wey dey affect de ordinary people.[51]

Showmanship

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Kuti be big man for show, and him concerts dey be wahala and gidi gidi. E call him stage act 'Underground Spiritual Game'. Plenty people dey expect make e perform like dem Western shows, but for 1980s, e no wan do any 'show'. Him European performance be wetin make sense for that time plus him other inspiration.[2] E try make movie but fire wey military government wey dey power set for him house spoil all him work.[52] E believe say art, plus him own music too, suppose get political meaning.[2]

Kuti concerts dey always get women wey be singers and dancers, wey dem later call "Queens." Dem Queens be women wey help make Kuti music popular. Dem dey wear bright colors and plenty makeup wey show their creativity. De singers for de group dey backup Kuti, dey go dey follow am talk or hum along, while the dancers dey perform plenty erotic styles. Dis one start to cause wahala because as dem dey involved with Kuti political matter, e be true say plenty of dem women be young.[37]

Kuti be part of one Afrocentric consciousness movement wey him start and dey deliver through him music. For one interview wey dey insyde Hank Bordowitz's Noise of de World, Kuti talk say:

Music suppose get effect. If you dey play music and people no dey feel anything, you no dey do anything. Na wetin African music be. When you hear music, you suppose move your body. I wan make people dey dance, but make dem dey reason too. Music suppose carry message for better life, against bad life. If you dey listen to jam wey show say better life dey but you no dey enjoy am, e go surely touch you.[53]

Political views den activism

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Activism

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Kuti dey involve big-time for politics for Africa since 1970s till him go. Him dey talk say dem government people for Naija dey chop money and dey treat citizens bad. Him also dey shout say colonialism na di root cause of all di wahala wey dey worry African people for socio-economics and politics. Corruption na one of di biggest wahala wey dey face Africa for di 1970s and Naija dey among di most corrupt places. Dem government dey rig election plus do coup wey just make poverty, economic inequality, and unemployment worse, plus dem dey promote more corruption and crime. Kuti’s protest songs dey jam about all dis corruption matter plus socio-economic problems for Africa. People dey hear Kuti’s political messages all over Africa.[52]

Kuti dey talk loud about di violent regime wey dey control Nigeria, but e no come without wahala. Dem don arrest am over 200 times, and e spend plenty time for jail, including 20 months wey e no fit come out after dem arrest am for 1984. E no stop there, di corrupt government send soldiers make dem beat Kuti, for family den friends, plus dem go destroy everywhere wey e dey live and any instrument or recording wey him get.[54][52]

For 1970s, Kuti dey drop bold political talk for de advert space of daily and weekly papers like The Daily Times PLUS The Punch, bypassing de media wahala wey government dey control for Nigeria.[55] Dem publish that column from 1970s to early 1980s wey dem name "Chief Priest Say", e be continuation of Kuti's Yabi Sessions—wey him dey raise consciousness with word plus sound, as him be chief priest for him nightclub for Lagos. Dem organize am around strong Afrocentric history and black beauty matter, "Chief Priest Say" focus on how cultural control dey keep Africans down. Kuti run plenty topics, from harsh talk about Nigerian Government criminal behavior, the wahala wey Islam and Christianity dey cause, and bad multinational companies; to how Western medicine no dey help, Black Muslims matter, sex, pollution, plus poverty. Later, The Daily Times and The Punch cancel "Chief Priest Say". People talk say dem editors fit dey under pressure to stop am, even if dem dey threaten with violence.[56]

Political views

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"Imagine Che Guevara and Bob Marley rolled into one person and you get a sense of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti."

—Herald Sun, February 2011[57]

Kuti's lyrics dey show wetin dey happen for him mind. As he blow up for 1970s, e show say music dey change how we dey talk about Nigerian wahala and politics.[58] For 1984, he talk plenty bad tin about Mohammadu Buhari wey dey be de president of de Federal Republic of Nigeria then.[59] One of him popular jam, "Beast of No Nation", na when he call Buhari "animal for mad man body"; for Pidgin, we go talk say: "No be outside Buhari dey ee / na craze man be dat / animal for craze man skin." Kuti love Africa well well, e dey preach make people dey live in peace. E believe say to fight European wahala, dem suppose support their own culture plus beliefs.[2] De American Black Power movement self gree influence Kuti for him political eye; he dey for Pan-Africanism and socialism, dey shout for united, democratic Africa republic.[60][61] Some leaders wey he support while e dey live include Kwame Nkrumah den Thomas Sankara.[27] Kuti no dey fear to talk for human rights, plenty of him songs na direct jab for dictators, especially the military wey dey rule Nigeria for 1970s and 1980s. Him still call out other Africans (especially the upper class) wey dey turn back on traditional African culture.

For 1978, Kuti be polygamist when e marry 27 women at once.[62][63] Dem wedding wey everybody dey talk about get plenty meanings: e mark one year wey Kuti plus him wives survive Nigerian government wahala for Kalakuta Republic for 1977,[64] plus e also make Kuti relationship with di women wey dey stay with am official. Dis one go fit stop Nigerian government from raiding Kuti compound say him don kidnap di women.[64] Kuti dey talk say polygamy dey make sense and e dey easy: "Man suppose dey collect plenty women from start. Like for Europe, when man don marry, when him wife dey sleep, he go dey waka dey chop other women. E suppose carry dem come house, make dem live with am, make e no dey run for street!"[65] Some people dey see him thoughts on women as no good, and dem dey use songs like "Mattress" show say he dey disrespect women.[66][67] For one complex matter, e dey mock African women wey wan fit European lady standard while e dey praise market women for song wey call "Lady."[67] But Kuti no too dey like wetin e see as wrong show of African manliness. For him songs "J.J.D. (Johnny Just Drop)" and "Gentleman", Kuti dey laugh African men wey dey follow European standard wey no fit for our culture, and him dey claim say him be "African man: Original."[64]

Kuti no dey shy for talk him mind about America. For one meeting during him 1981 tour for Amsterdam, he bin dey 'yarn' how di psychological wahala wey American people like ITT plus CIA dey bring come developing countries no be fair. He talk say terms like Third World, undeveloped, or non-aligned countries dey show say dem dey below others, so e no believe say dem suppose use am.[62]

Legacy

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De New Afrika Shrine, Lagos

Kuti be one big legend wey dey inspire plenty people dem. Him dey talk him mind about wetin dey hunger the country through him music. Since 1998, dem dey run Felabration festival, wey him pikin Yeni Kuti start,[68] every year for New Afrika Shrine to celebrate dis music king and him birthday. Since Kuti die for 1997, him influence don come back strong for music and popular culture. E don bring another re-release of him songs wey UMG, Broadway, and off-Broadway shows dey control, plus new bands like Antibalas wey dey carry Afrobeat go new generation.

For 1999, Universal Music France, wey Francis Kertekian dey run am, remastered 45 albums wey dem get, and drop am for 26 compact discs. Dis title dem license am worldwide, but for Nigeria and Japan, another companies dey hold Kuti music. For 2005, UMG for America carry all their world-music title license go Wrasse Records for UK, wey come repack the same 26 discs for US (wey fit change the titles wey MCA drop) and UK. Then for 2009, Universal come arrange new deal for US and Europe, with Knitting Factory Records and PIAS for respectively, wey include the Broadway cast recording of the musical Fela! Later for 2013, FKO Ltd., wey hold all Kuti compositions rights, BMG Rights Management buy am.

For 2003, de Black President exhibition come show for New Museum for Contemporary Art, New York, e get concerts, symposia, films, plus 39 artists work wey dem dey represent from different countries.[69][62][70]

American singer Bilal don remake Kuti 1977 jam wey dem dey call 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' for him second album, Love for Sale, and e get Common wey dey rap for am. Bilal talk say Kuti blend of jazz and folk style dey inspire him music.[71]

Di 2007 film The Visitor, wey Thomas McCarthy direct, show say one professor wey dey disconnected (Richard Jenkins) wan play djembe; e sabi from one young Syrian (Haaz Sleiman) wey tell am say e no go fit sabi African music well well unless e listen Fela. Di film get clips of Kuti's 'Open and Close' and 'Je'nwi Temi (No Gag Me)'.

De Afrobeat band Antibalas insyde 2005

For 2008, dem do one show wey no dey Broadway about Kuti life, dem call am Fela! and e dey inspired by one book wey dem write for 1982 wey be Fela, Fela! This Bitch of a Life by Carlos Moore.[72][73] E start with collaboration wey Antibalas Afrobeat band and Tony award winner Bill T. Jones do together. Di show mash up, e sell out plenty shows and everybody praise am. On 22 November 2009, Fela! start dem run for Broadway for Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Jim Lewis dey help write di script together with Jones, and dem get support from producers like Jay-Z and Will Smith plus some others. For 4 May 2010, Fela! collect 11 Tony Awards nomination, including Best Musical, Best Book of Musical, Best Direction of Musical for Bill T. Jones, Best Leading Actor in Musical for Sahr Ngaujah, and Best Featured Actress in Musical for Lillias White.[74] For 2011, dem film di London version of Fela! at di Royal National Theatre.[62] Then for 11 June 2012, dem announce say Fela! go come back to Broadway for 32 performances.[75]

For 18 August 2009, DJ J.Period drop one free mixtape wey dem dey call The Messengers. Na collaboration with Somali hip-hop artist K'naan wey dey show love for Kuti, Bob Marley, plus Bob Dylan.

Two months later, Knitting Factory Records dey begin bring back di 45 titles wey UMG get control over, dem start with another re-release for US of di compilation wey dem call The Best of di Black President, wey dem complete den drop for 2013.[76]

Fela Son of Kuti: The Fall of Kalakuta na stage play wey Onyekaba Cornel Best write for 2010. E don shine well well for dat year Felabration and come back for 2014 for National Theatre and Freedom Park for Lagos. Dis play dey talk wetin happen for one hideout, one day after Kalakuta fall.

Di full-length documentary film Finding Fela, wey Alex Gibney direct, show for 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Fela Kuti statue at Ikeja, Lagos

One biographical film wey Focus Features dey work on, direct by Steve McQueen and write by Biyi Bandele, people dey talk say dem go start am for 2010, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as de lead role.[77] But by 2014, the whole plan no dey go under Focus Features again, and even tho McQueen still be main writer, dem bring Andrew Dosunmu come direct am. McQueen tell The Hollywood Reporter say de film don dey

"dead".[78]

Di 2019 documentary film My Friend Fela (Meu amigo Fela) wey Joel Zito Araújo do, dey show di wahala wey dey Kuti life through di eyes plus talk of em biographer Carlos Moore.[79]

De album wey Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela do together, Rejoice, drop for 2020. E get one track wey dem call "Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be the Same)" wey be tribute to Kuti, na im make Allen and Masekela meet for 1970s.[80][81]

Kuti song dem, "Zombie" and "Sorrow Tears and Blood" don show for Grand Theft Auto: IV game, and dem even nominate am after him die for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for 2021.[82]

For 2021, Hulu bring come six-episode documentary dem dey call McCartney 3,2,1. For that one, Paul McCartney talk say when e go see Fela Kuti for African Shrine, the club wey dey outside Lagos, for early 1970s: "The music be so incredible say I dey cry. Hearing that na one of the greatest music moments for my life."[83]

For 1 November 2021, dem unveil blue plaque for 12 Stanlake Road, Shepherd's Bush from Nubian Jak Community Trust. Na dere be di first place wey Kuti stay when e land London for 1958 wey e dey study music for Trinity College.[84][85] Di event carry plenty people wey dey show love, like Kuti pikin Shalewa Ransome-Kuti, Resonance FM presenter Debbie Golt, Kuti old manager Rikki Stein, cover artist Lemi Ghariokwu, plus plenty others.[86][87][88]

For 2022, dem carry Kuti enter the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.[89] For 2023, Rolling Stone rank Kuti for number 188 for dem list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[90]

Discography

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Studio albums
  • Fela Fela Fela (1970)
  • Fela's London Scene (1971)
  • Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971)
  • Open & Close (1971)
  • Na Poi (1971)
  • Shakara (1972)
  • Roforofo Fight (1972)
  • Afrodisiac (1973)
  • Gentleman (1973)
  • Alagbon Close (1974)
  • Noise for Vendor Mouth (1975)
  • Confusion (1975)
  • Everything Scatter (1975)
  • Expensive Shit (1975)
  • He Miss Road (1975)
  • Unnecessary Begging (1976)
  • Kalakuta Show (1976)
  • Upside Down (1976)
  • Ikoyi Blindness (1976)
  • Before I Jump Like Monkey Give Me Banana (1976)
  • Excuse-O (1976)
  • Yellow Fever (1976)
  • Zombie (1977)
  • Stalemate (1977)
  • No Agreement (1977)
  • Sorrow Tears and Blood (1977)
  • Shuffering and Shmiling (1978)
  • Unknown Soldier (1979)
  • I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) (1980)
  • Music of Many Colours (1980) (with Roy Ayers)
  • Authority Stealing (1980)
  • Original Sufferhead (1981)
  • Perambulator (1983)
  • Army Arrangement (1985)
  • I Go Shout Plenty (1986)
  • Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (1986)
  • Beasts of No Nation (1989)
  • Confusion Break Bones (1990)
  • O.D.O.O. (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake) (1990)
  • Underground System (1992)
  • Lagos Baby 1963 to 1969 (2008)
Live albums
  • Live! (with Ginger Baker) (1971)
  • J.J.D. (Johnny Just Drop!!) (1977)
  • V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power) (1979)
  • Live in Amsterdam (1983)
  • Live in Detroit 1986 (2010)
Compilations
  • The Best Best of Fela Kuti (1999)
  • The Underground Spiritual Game (2004)
  • The Best of the Black President 2 (2013)

Filmography

[edit | edit source]
  • Arena - Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat,2020 Plimsoll MamaPut Film for BBC
  • My Friend Fela, 2019, Joel Zito Araújo (Casa de Criação Cinema)
  • Finding Fela, 2014, Alex Gibney and Jack Gulick (Jigsaw Productions)
  • Femi Kuti — Live at the Shrine, 2005, recorded live in Lagos, Nigeria (Palm Pictures)
  • Fela Live! Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the Egypt '80 Band, 1984, recorded live at Glastonbury, England (Yazoo)
  • Fela Kuti: Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense & Berliner Jazztage '78 (Double Feature), 1984 (Lorber Films)
  • Fela in Concert, 1981 (VIEW)
  • Music Is the Weapon, 1982, Stéphane Tchalgadjieff and Jean-Jacques Flori (Universal Music)

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ "Fela Kuti – 10 of the best". The Guardian. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Albert Oikelome. "Stylistic Analysis of Afrobeat Music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti" (PDF). NaijaFindMp3.com.ng. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grass, Randall F. (1 January 1986). "Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: The Art of an Afrobeat Rebel". The Drama Review: TDR. 30 (1): 131–148. doi:10.2307/1145717. JSTOR 1145717.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 Fela Kuti at AllMusic
  5. ↑ Ogunnaike, Lola (17 July 2003). "Celebrating the Life and Impact of the Nigerian Music Legend Fela". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abeokuta". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 27. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
  7. ↑ "Origin of NUT". nut-nigeria.org. Nigeria Union of Teachers. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Olukayode Segun, Eesuola; Ojakorotu, Victor (20 March 2019). "Indigenised popular songs for oppositional political communication : Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba in perspectives". African Renaissance. 16 (1): 233–251. doi:10.31920/2516-5305/2019/v16n1a12. S2CID 242156522. Template:ProQuest.
  9. ↑ "Fela Kuti remembered: 'He was a tornado of a man, but he loved humanity'". The Guardian (in English). 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  10. ↑ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1986".
  11. ↑ Spencer, Neil (2010-10-30). "Fela Kuti remembered: 'He was a tornado of a man, but he loved humanity'". The Guardian (in British English). Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Olatunji, Michael (2007). "Yabis: A Phenomenon in the Contemporary Nigerian Music" (PDF). The Journal of Pan African Studies. 1: 26–46.
  13. ↑ Loyal Nana, February 26, 2019 - FELA KUTI - Eleanor Igwe
  14. ↑ "VANGUARD". allafrica. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  15. ↑ David Ryshpan. "Victor Olaiya, All Star Soul International". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  16. ↑ Arogundade, Funsho (12 October 2015). "Sandra Iszadore, Fashola, Ajibade, others speak at Felabration". PM News. Nigeria. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Tewksbury, Drew (December 13, 2011). "Fela Kuti's Lover and Mentor Sandra Smith Talks About Afrobeat's L.A. Origins, as Fela! Musical Arrives at the Ahmanson". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  18. ↑ Olaniyan, Tejumola (2004). Arrest the Music!: Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-11034-3. OCLC 65189067.Template:Page needed
  19. ↑ "Meaning of Anikulapo in". Nigerian.name. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (Abami Eda)". Africa Boku Talent (in American English). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  21. ↑ "Fela Anikulapo Kuti: The 'ghost' resurrects and the beat goes on, a preview by The Independence". Emnnews.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  22. ↑ [[[:Template:AllMusic]] Bobby Gass credits], AllMusic
  23. ↑ Matthew McKinnon (12 August 2005). "Rebel Yells: A protest music mixtape". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  24. ↑ See: Washington, Teresa N. (2014). The Architects of Existence: Aje in Yoruba Cosmology, Ontology, and Orature. Oya's Tornado. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-0991073016.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Culshaw, Peter (15 August 2004). "The big Fela". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  26. ↑ Pareles, Jon (2 May 2020). "Tony Allen, Drummer Who Created the Beat of Afrobeat, Dies at 79". The New York Times.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Collins, John (5 June 2015). Fela: Kalakuta Notes. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819575401.
  28. ↑ Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon. Directors Jean-Jacques Flori and Stephane Tchalgadjieff. 1982. Universal Import. March 2004.
  29. ↑ "Fela Anikulapo Kuti - Black President". Discogs. 1981.
  30. ↑ "Fela Anikulapo Kuti à l'Hippodrome de Paris". Le Monde.fr. 16 March 1981.
  31. ↑ "Felá Anikũlapo-Kuti - Original Sufferhead". Discogs. 1982.
  32. ↑ "Fela Kuti, une histoire française". August 2017.
  33. ↑ "Music is the Weapon".
  34. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: "Fela Kuti & Egypt 80 Arsenal TV3 Catalonian TV 1987-08-04". YouTube. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 2020-05-01.Template:Cbignore
  35. ↑ Adenekan, Shola (15 February 2006). "Obituary: Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti". The Guardian. London.
  36. ↑ "Success stories". Amnesty International. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Ayobade, Dotun (2019). "'We Were On Top of the World': Fela Kuti's Queens and the Poetics of Space". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 31 (1): 24–39. doi:10.1080/13696815.2017.1400954. S2CID 194782043.
  38. ↑ Akinyemi, Oluwamayowa. "NOSTALGIA: 28 Years Ago Today, Fela Kuti Was Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder - A New Touch of Africa" (in American English). Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  39. ↑ "NIGERIAN MUSICIAN FELA CHARGED WITH MURDER". The Washington Post (in American English). 1993-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  40. ↑ Adewole, Isaac F. (2003). "Olikoye Ransome-Kuti: Nigeria's outstanding Minister of Health: A tribute". African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive. 27, No. 5s (Special Edition in honor of Late Profesor Olikoye Ransome Kuti (May 2023)): 27–30.
  41. ↑ David, Herszenhorn (4 August 1997). "Fela, 58, Dissident Nigerian Musician, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  42. ↑ "NIGERIAN MUSICIAN FELA ANIKULAPO-KUTI DIES". Washington Post. August 4, 1997.
  43. ↑ "Fela Anikulapo Kuti; Nigerian Musician". Los Angeles Times. August 4, 1997.
  44. ↑ "Fela Did Not Die of AIDS, Widow Insists". Daily Times Nigeria. 29 March 2015.
  45. ↑ See: Washington, Teresa N. (2014). The Architects of Existence: Aje in Yoruba Cosmology, Ontology, and Orature. Oya's Tornado. pp. 285n105. ISBN 978-0991073016.
  46. ↑ "The Untold story of how Fela Kuti married 27 women same day". Graphic Online (in British English). 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  47. ↑ "Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 | Biography & History". AllMusic (in American English). Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  48. ↑ Osiebe, Garhe (2020-08-20). "The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop". The Conversation (in American English). Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  49. ↑ "Fela Kuti and the Legacy of Afrobeat". 22 May 2012.
  50. ↑ As Iwedi Ojinmah points out in his article "Baba is Dead – Long Live Baba,"
  51. ↑
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 Darnton, John (24 July 1977). "NIGERIA'S DISSIDENT SUPERSTAR". The New York Times.
  53. ↑ Bordowitz, Hank (2004). Noise of the World: Non-Western Musicians In Their Own Words. Canada: Soft Skull Press. p. 170.
  54. ↑ "20 years after Fela's death, his music, lifestyle and influence lives on » YNaija". YNaija (in British English). 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  55. ↑ This section includes material copied verbatim from "Chief Priest Say" Archived 4 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, at chimurenga library.co.za, released under GFDL.
  56. ↑ Reporters, Greenbarge (2015-10-15). "The Legend Lives On: Profile Of Fela Anikulapo Kuti At Birthday Today". Greenbarge Reporters (in American English). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  57. ↑ Blanche Clarke, "Man of Beats Brings a Message with him", Herald Sun, 4 February 2011.
  58. ↑ Shonekan, Stephanie (1 January 2009). "Fela's Foundation: Examining the Revolutionary Songs of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and the Abeokuta Market Women's Movement in 1940s Western Nigeria". Black Music Research Journal. 29 (1): 127–144. JSTOR 20640673.
  59. ↑ Denselow, Robin (1 April 2015). "Nigeria's new president Muhammadu Buhari – the man who jailed Fela Kuti". The Guardian (in British English). Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  60. ↑ Stewart, Alexander (5 December 2013). "Make It Funky: Fela Kuti, James Brown and the Invention of Afrobeat". American Studies. 52 (4): 99–118. doi:10.1353/ams.2013.0124. S2CID 145682238.[permanent dead link]
  61. ↑ Hadj-Moussa, R.; Nijhawan, M. (9 July 2014). Suffering, Art, and Aesthetics. Springer. ISBN 9781137426086.
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 62.3 Collins, John (5 June 2015). Fela: Kalakuta Notes. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819575401.
  63. ↑ Moore, Carlos; Gil, Gilberto (1982). Fela: This Bitch of a Life. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781556528354.
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 Washington, Teresa N. (2014). The Architects of Existence: Aje in Yoruba Cosmology, Ontology, and Orature. Oya's Tornado. p. 218. ISBN 978-0991073016.
  65. ↑ "Naija News". NaijaTab.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  66. ↑ Stanovsky, Derek (1998). "Fela and His Wives: The Import of a Postcolonial Masculinity". Jouvert. english.chass.ncsu.edu. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Olaniyan, Tejumola (June 2001). "The Cosmopolitan Nativist: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the Antinomies of Postcolonial Modernity". Research in African Literatures. 32 (2): 76–89. doi:10.2979/RAL.2001.32.2.76. S2CID 161060935. Template:Project MUSE.
  68. ↑ "Felabration 2019: How We Came About the Theme, 'From Lagos, With Love!' – Yeni Kuti". The News. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  69. ↑ "Black President: the Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti", New Museum Digital Archive.
  70. ↑ Koirala, Snigdha. "—Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, New Museum of Contemporary Art". BOMB Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  71. ↑ Template:Cite interview
  72. ↑ Bossler, Gregory (13 July 2012). "Fela!: Review Roundup". Gregorybossler.com. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  73. ↑ Reedy, R. Scott (3 May 2012). "Theatergoers can't stay in their seats during 'Fela!'". Marshfield Mariner. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  74. ↑ "Tony Award Nominations, 2010". Archived from the original on 9 May 2010.
  75. ↑ Gans, Andrew, and Adam Hetrick. "Fela! Will Play Limited Summer Return Engagement on Broadway". Playbill. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2012.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  76. ↑ Chick, Stevie (2013-03-04). "BBC - Music - Review of Fela Kuti - The Best of the Black President 2". BBC (in British English). Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  77. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr (4 May 2010). "As 'Fela!' Lands 11 Tony Noms, Pic On The Musician/Activist Signs Chiwetel Ejiofor". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  78. ↑ Ginsberg, Merle; Baum, Gary (2014-01-09). "Fela Kuti Biopic Soldiers On, Without Steve McQueen or Focus Features". The Hollywood Reporter (in English). Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  79. ↑ "My Friend Fela", IFFR.
  80. ↑ Denselow, Robin (19 March 2020). "Tony Allen: Afrobeat's master on Hugh Masekela, Damon Albarn and friction with Fela Kuti". The Guardian.
  81. ↑ Music News (23 March 2020). "Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela Pay Tribute to Fela In 'Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be The Same)'". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  82. ↑ Harris, Latesha (10 February 2021). "Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner Among 16 Nominees For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame". NPR (in English). Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  83. ↑ Ruggieri, Melissa. "Paul recalls The Beatles' 'laboratory'", USA Today, Monday, 19 July 2021, p. 7B.
  84. ↑ "Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti honoured with blue plaque in Shepherds Bush". H&F (Hammersmith & Fulham). 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  85. ↑ "Fela Kuti honoured with Blue Plaque at former London home". The Voice. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  86. ↑ Smith, Eugene (3 November 2021). "Another Fela Kuti Plaque unveiled in London". African Voice. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  87. ↑ "New Blue Plaque Honours Local Afrobeat Legend". The Chiswick Herald. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  88. ↑ Nkrumah, Afrikatu Kofi (1 November 2021). "Fela Kuti, godfather of Afrobeat, honoured with a blue heritage plaque in London, England". GhanaWeb. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  89. ↑ Conteh, Mankaprr (2022-02-22). "More Excellence: Snoop Dogg, Fela Kuti, Berry Gordy Honored at Atlanta's Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame". Rolling Stone (in American English). Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  90. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.

Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has no name attribute.

Read further

[edit | edit source]
  • Alimi, Shina; Anthony, Iroju Opeyemi (15 September 2013). "No agreement today, no agreement tomorrow: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and human rights activism in Nigeria" (PDF). Journal of Pan African Studies. 6 (4): 74–95. Gale A356354162.
  • Bordowitz, Hank (2004). Noise of the World:Non-Western Musicians In Their Own Words. Soft Skull Press. Canada.
  • Chude, Olisaemeka (11 November 2015), "Let's keep felabrating" Archived 31 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Ayiba magazine
  • Idowu, Mabinuori Kayode (2002). Fela, le Combattant. Le Castor Astral. France.
  • Moore, Carlos (1982). Fela, Fela! This Bitch of a Life. Allison & Busby. UK. (Authorised biography). New edition Chicago Review Press, 2009 (with Introduction by Margaret Busby and foreword by Gilberto Gil); Nigerian edition Cassava Republic Press (with Prologue by Lindsay Barrett).
  • Ogunyemi, Christopher Babatunde (2 October 2021). "Fela Kuti's Black consciousness: African cosmology and the re-configuration of Blackness in 'colonial mentality'". African Identities. 19 (4): 487–501. doi:10.1080/14725843.2020.1803793. S2CID 225491880.
  • Olorunyomi, Sola (2002). Afrobeat: Fela and the Imagined Continent. Africa World Press. USA.
  • Olaniyan, Tejumola (2004). Arrest the Music! Fela and his Rebel Art and Politics. Indiana University Press. USA.
  • Schoonmaker, Trevor, ed. (2003). Fela: From West Africa to West Broadway. Palgrave Macmillan. USA.
  • Schoonmaker, Trevor, ed. (2003). Black President: The Art & Legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York. ISBN 0-915557-87-8.
  • Sithole, Tendayi (July 2012). "Fela Kuti and the oppositional lyrical power". Muziki. 9 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1080/18125980.2012.737101. S2CID 142993486.
  • Stewart, Alexander (2013). "Make It Funky: Fela Kuti, James Brown and the Invention of Afrobeat". American Studies. 52 (4): 99–118. doi:10.1353/ams.2013.0124. JSTOR 24589271. S2CID 145682238. Gale A426625632 Project MUSE 528297 ProQuest 1498087584.
  • Veal, Michael E. (1997). Fela: The Life of an African Musical Icon. Temple University Press. USA.
  • Wilmer, Val (September 2011), "Fela Kuti in London", in The Wire, No. 331.
[edit | edit source]

Fela Kuti at Wikipedia ein sisto projects

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