It's The Complete Cheat Sheet On Fela Fela Kuti

Fela is a man of contradictions. That's why he's so fascinating. People who love him will forgive the parts of him that aren't perfect.

His songs are usually 20 minutes long or longer and are performed in a thick Pidgin English that is almost impossible to understand. 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 the idea that music can be an instrument of change. His music was used to call for political, social and economic changes. His influence is still evident even today. Afrobeat is a musical style that blends African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African high-life and funk However, it has since developed into its own style.

His political activism was fierce and fearless. He used his music to speak out against corruption in government and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were daring criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also referred to Kalakuta as a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and to encourage political activism.

The play includes a large portrait featuring his mother, who died in the past Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a well-known feminist and activist. She is played by actress Shantel Cribbs, who has successfully communicated her importance in the life of Fela. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her declining health she was unable to get tested for AIDS and instead chose traditional treatment.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who used music to effect changes in the political landscape. He is famous for his work on afrobeat - a fusion of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was also a relentless critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Growing up with an anti-colonial suffragist mom It's no surprise that Fela was interested in political and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be a physician however, he had other plans.

A trip to America changed his life forever. The exposure to Black power movements and the leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound influence on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism philosophy, which 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. This led him to start a political group called the Movement of the People and write songs that expressed the ideas he had about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed in public via the medium of yabis, an art of public speaking he dubbed "freedom of expression". He also began to enforce a strict ethical code for his band, such as refusing to receive medication from Western-trained doctors.

Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja. The snares of officers and police were almost daily. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, especially 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). However, Fela kept his integrity unshaken. His music speaks of his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are reflected in official goals. It is an amazing legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also made fun of his audience, the government, and even himself. He referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick in the little pond." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly and he was frequently detained and imprisoned. He was also beating by the authorities. He eventually took the name Anikulapo which translates to "he carries death in his bag."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers to mindless zombies who followed orders without asking questions. The military was irritated by this and seized 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, a genre of music that combines jazz and native African rhythm. His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African beliefs and cultures. He also criticised fellow Africans for disrespecting their country's traditions. He stressed the importance of freedom and human rights.

He was an artist of hip-hop.

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, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants, which helped form his unique style of music. After a trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas influenced his work profoundly.

Fela's music was a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria. He criticized the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human rights abuses. He was repeatedly detained for his criticism of military.

Fela was also a proponent of marijuana in Africa, which is known as "igbo". He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine, where he would ridicule government officials and share his opinions on freedom of expression and beauty of women's bodies. Fela had Harems, which was a group of women who performed at his shows as well as supported him vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion. He incorporated elements from beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive 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 be killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died from complications due to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a well-known political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums such as 1973's Gentleman, focused on fighting oppression from both colonial and government parties. He also promoted black power and criticised Christianity and Islam as non-African influenced religions that were used to divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of an album from 1978. It is about overcrowded public buses full of poor workers, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. The dancers of Fela were a great complement to his music. They were sensual, vibrant, and regal. Their contributions were as significant as Fela's lyrics.

He was a political militant

Fela Kuti utilized music as a way to confront unjust authorities. He transformed his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African styles and rhythms making music that was ready for a fight. Most of his songs start with slow-burning instrumentals, then adding small riffs and melodies until they burst with urgency.

Fela was, unlike many artists who were scared to speak about their politics was unflinching and uncompromising. He stood up for his beliefs even when it was risky to do so. 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 Republic which destroyed property and injuring Fela. He refused to back down, though and continued to speak out against the government. He died of complications from AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry on his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen by many as a form of political protest. Artists use lyrics to call for change. But some of the most effective music-related protests don't rely on words in any way. Fela Kuti is one these artists, and his music still is heard today. He pioneered Afrobeat, combining traditional African harmonies and rhythms with funk and jazz, being influenced by artists such as James Brown.

Fela's mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti 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 the idea of a Nigeria which served its all of its citizens.


Seun Fela's son is carrying the legacy of his father through a group dubbed Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The Egypt 80's music combines the sound of Fela with a scathing denunciation of the power structures that exist in the present. fela accident attorney will be released by the end of March. Many fans paid their respects at the funeral at Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big that police had to block the entrance.