20 Trailblazers Setting The Standard In Fela Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full of contradictions, and that's a large part of what makes him so fascinating. People who love him accept the parts of him that aren't perfect.

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

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a powerful tool to change the world. His music was used to advocate for political, social and economic reforms. His influence is still present even today. Afrobeat is a style of music that combines African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African and funk. However it has evolved into a completely new genre.

His political activism was intense, and he acted without fear. He utilized his music as a protest against government corruption and human rights abuses. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were blatant criticisms of Nigeria's government. He also made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as a hub for political activism and a gathering place for people who were like-minded.

The production features a huge portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent feminist activist and pioneer of the feminist movement. Shantel Cribbs plays her, and she does an excellent job of capturing the importance she played in Fela's life. The play also focuses on her political involvement. Despite her condition deteriorating she refused to be tested for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatments.

He was a musician

Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who utilized music to bring about changes in the political landscape. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat. It was an invigorating blend of funk, dirty and traditional African rhythms. He was a fierce critic of Nigeria's religious and political leaders.

Fela's mother was a suffragist who was anti-colonial, so it is not unusual that he is a fan for social commentary and politics. His parents believed that he would eventually become a doctor but there were other goals for him.

A trip to America changed his life forever. The exposure to Black power movements and leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound impact on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism philosophy that would guide and inform his later work.

He was a songwriter

Fela encountered Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X while in the United States. The experience inspired him to create an organization called the Movement of the People, and to compose songs that expressed his thoughts about black activism and political consciousness. His philosophy was expressed publicly through yabis, a form of that he described as 'freedom expression'. He also started to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to accept medication from Western-trained doctors.

After his return to Nigeria Fela began building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. Police and military officials were almost constant. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area around the club with hard drugs, especially "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Fela was a steadfast person despite this. His music demonstrates the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that the popular will be reflected in official goals. It is a remarkable legacy that will last for generations to come.

He was a poet

Fela's music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to draw attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also made fun of his audience, government officials, and even himself. He also referred to himself in these shows as "the big dick on the small pond." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly, and he was often detained and imprisoned. He was also beaten by the authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which translates to "he has his death in his pouch."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he contrasted soldiers with brainless zombies that followed orders without any 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 apartment through a window.

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

He was a rapper

A trumpeter, saxophonist and composer, and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. 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 an excursion to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas affected his work dramatically.

Fela's music was a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria. He criticised the government of his native country, and argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture. He also wrote about social injustices and human rights abuses. He was repeatedly detained for his criticism of military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He frequently held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would ridicule government officials and spread his views on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had a harem, a group of young women who performed at his shows, and also supported him vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion. fela lawyer incorporated elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife into his own unique 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 seeing his mother killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died in 1997 of AIDS-related complications.

Fela was an activist for the political cause who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and embraced the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial parties. He also promoted black-power and criticised Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports for dividing the people of Africa. The title track from an album released in 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the overcrowded public buses full of poor people "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a staunch opponent of religious hypocrisy. His music was in turn complemented by his dancers who were lively elegant, sensual, and beautiful. Their contributions to the performance were as important as Fela's words.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti utilized music as a tool to challenge oppressive authorities. He adapts his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African styles and rhythms making an ear that was ready for fight. Most of his songs begin as slow-burning instrumentals. He layers melodies, riffs, long-lined melodies and other elements until they explode in a blaze of energy.

Unlike many artists, who were hesitant to speak out about their politics, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood in the cause he believed in, even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a fervent feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was both a protestant minister, and the president of the teachers union.

He also founded Kalakuta Republic - a recording studio and commune that was a symbol of the resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic and destroyed property, as well as injured Fela. He refused to give up, and continued to speak against the government. He passed away in 1997 due to complications related to AIDS. His son Femi continues to carry on his political and musical legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen by many as a form of political protest. The lyrics of musicians are used to call for change. However, some of the most effective music-related protests don't rely on words in any way. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music continues to ring out to this day. He was the founder of Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmony with hip-hop and jazz that was being influenced by artists like James Brown.


Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in the idea of a Nigeria that was serving its the entire population.

Seun Fela's son is carrying the legacy of his father with a band named Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The music of Egypt 80 combines the sound of Fela and a scathing critique of power structures that still exist in the present. The new album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid their respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so large that police had to block the entrance to the venue.