Fela Kuti | Artist
Fela Anikulapo Kuti was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, pioneer of Afrobeat and human rights activist, born 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He is regarded as the King of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At age 20 Kuti was sent to London to study medicine but instead enrolled at Trinity College of Music and learned the trumpet. While in London he formed his first band Koola Lobitos, playing Jazz/Funk/Highlife fusion he termed Afrobeat. In 1967 he returned to Nigeria and focussed on political activism and musical experimentation. He and his band Africa 70, featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen, shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which he was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria's military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1978 raid that injured Kuti and his mother. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. He continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti. Fela Kuti was a prolific recording artist, releasing over 50 albums in his career. Outstanding albums include Open & Close (1971), Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971), Live! (1971), Roforofo Fight (1972), Shakara (1972), Afrodisiac (1973), Gentlemen (1973), Alagbon Close (1974), Confusion (1974), Expensive Shit (1975), He Miss Road (1975), Kalakuta Show (1976), Ikoyi Blindness (1976), No Agreement (1977), Opposite People (1977), Sorrow Tears and Blood (1977), Zombie (1977), Shuffering and Shmiling (1978), International Thief Thief (1979), Unknown Soldier (1979), Coffin for Head of State (1981), and Beasts of No Nation (1989). After the success of his album Zombie, which openly criticised the Nigerian military, the government raided the Kalakuta Republic with 1,000 soldiers. During the raid, Kuti was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was fatally injured after being thrown from a window. The commune was burnt down, and Kuti's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Kuti and his band then took up residence in the Crossroads Hotel. In 1978, he married 27 women, many of whom were dancers, composers, and singers with whom he worked. The marriages served to protect Kuti and his wives from authorities' false claims that Kuti was kidnapping women. Fela Kuti's sons Femi and Seun are both successful afrobeat musicians.
Artist Website: felabration.net
Featured Albums: Fela Kuti
Related Artists: Tony Allen, Femi Kuti
