Ask Me Anything: 10 Answers To Your Questions About Fela Fela Kuti

Fela's life is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him so fascinating. People who love him are able to accept his flaws.

His songs are usually 20 minutes or more, and sung in a slurred Pidgin English that is almost unintelligible. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music. He also blends jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with guitars and horns.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a tool to influence the world. He utilized his music to call for social and political changes and his influence can be evident in the world of even today. His musical style, Afrobeat, is a combination of African and Western influences. railroad injury fela lawyer lie in West-African hip-life music and funk However, it has since developed into its own genre.


His political activism was ferocious and he took action without fear. He utilized his music as a protest against corruption in the government and human rights abuses. Songs like "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were daring criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also used his residence, Kalakuta Republic, as an area for political activism as well as an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

The play includes a large portrait of his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a well-known feminist and activist. Shantel Cribbs portrays her, and she does an excellent job of conveying her importance in Fela's life. The play also focuses on her political activism. Despite her declining health she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional medicine.

He was a musician

The Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex man who used his music to facilitate political change. He is renowned for his creation of afrobeat - a fusion of dirty funk with traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's religious and political leaders.

Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mom and a feminist father, it's not a surprise that Fela had a passion for social commentary and politics. His parents hoped that he would become a doctor, but he had other ideas.

A trip to America changed his outlook forever. The music he composed was greatly affected by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He developed a philosophy of Pan-Africanism, which would inform and guide his later work.

He was a writer

Fela was introduced to Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X during his time in the United States. The experiences inspired him to establish an activist movement known as the Movement of the People, and to compose songs that expressed his thoughts about black activism and political consciousness. His philosophies were publicly expressed through yabis - a form public speaking he called 'freedom expression'. He also started to impose an ethical code on his band. This included refusing to accept prescriptions from Western-trained physicians.

After returning to Nigeria Fela began building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. The raids by police and military officials was almost constant. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, including 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). Despite this Fela maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music speaks to his determination in challenging authority and ensuring that the desires of the masses are manifested in official goals. It is an influence that will last for generations.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his fans, the government, and himself. In these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big dick in the little pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities and he was frequently arrested, imprisonments and beatings at the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo, which means "he carries his body in his purse."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers to mindless zombies who followed orders without question. The military was offended by the song and raided Kalakuta Republic. They burned the place down and beat its residents. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown from her second-floor through a window.

In the decades following Nigeria's independence, Fela created Afrobeat, a genre of music that combined jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African religions and culture. He also criticized fellow Africans who sabotaged their country's customs. He stressed the importance of freedom and human rights.

He was a rapper

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, trumpeter and saxophonist, was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music. He grew up listening to jazz and rock and roll, as well as traditional African music and chants which helped shape his style of music. After his trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement, and her ideas impacted his work profoundly.

After his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a tool for political purposes. He criticized the government in his home country and insisted that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was frequently detained for his criticism of military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, also known as "igbo" in Africa. He often held public debates at Afrika Shrine, called "yabis" which was where he would lampoon government officials and spread his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had Harems, which was a group of women who performed at his shows as well as backed his vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion, taking elements from jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinct style. He influenced a generation of African musicians and was a vocal critic of colonial rule.

Despite being arrested and tortured by the Nigerian military junta, and witnessing his mother killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, like 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both the government and colonial parties. He also pushed for black power and criticised Christianity and Islam as non-African imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa. The title track of the album from 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crammed public busses filled with poor workers "shuffering and smiling." Fela was a staunch opponent of religious hypocrisy. Fela's dancers were also an excellent complement to his music. They were vibrant, sensual and elegant. Their contributions were as important as Fela’s words.

He was a militant in the political arena.

Fela Kuti utilized music as a way to confront unjust authorities. He adapts his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes and created an ear that was ready for fight. Most of his songs start as simmering instrumentals, slowly layering little riffs and long-lined melodies until they explode in a flash of vigor.

Fela, unlike many artists who were afraid to speak about their politics was unflinching and uncompromising. He stood up for what he believed in even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was a protestant minister and president of the teachers' union.

He also created Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic which destroyed property and injured Fela. He refused to back down, though and continued to voice his opinion against the government. He passed away from complications of AIDS in 1997. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to continue his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen by many as a political action. The lyrics of musicians are used to call for change. However, some of the most effective music-related protests do not use words in any way. Fela Kuti is among the artists mentioned above and his music resonates today. He pioneered Afrobeat, combining traditional African harmonies and rhythms with funk and jazz, being influenced by artists such as James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela's maternal grandmother was a militant and unionist who fought against 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 which served its the entire population.

Seun, Fela's Son, continues to carry the legacy of his father with the band Egypt 80. The band is on tour around the world this year. The band's music is a blend of the sounds and politics of Fela's era with a passionate critique of the same power structures that are still in place in the present. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Many fans paid their respects at the funeral in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so large, that the police had to shut down the entrance.