Fela Kuti
Fela's life is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him fascinating. People who love him are able to overlook his shortcomings.
His songs are typically longer than 20 minutes, and sung in a thick Pidgin English that is almost impossible to understand. His music is influenced primarily by Christian hymns and classical music. He also incorporates jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with guitars and horns.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied that music can be used to influence the world. He made use of his music to push for political and social change and his influence can be evident in the world of even today. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a synthesis of African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music as well as funk. However, it has evolved into a completely new genre.
His political activism was intense, and he acted without fear. He used his music to speak out against corruption in government and human rights abuses. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were provocative critiques of the Nigerian regime. The residence he lived in, Kalakuta Republic, as an enclave for political activism as well as an area for gathering with people who were like-minded.
The production features a huge portrait of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a well-known activist and feminist pioneer. She is played by actress Shantel Cribbs, who successfully depicted her importance in the life of Fela. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her condition deteriorating, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she took traditional treatments.
He was a musician
Fela Ransome-Kuti was a multifaceted musician who used his music to effect political change. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat. It was an invigorating blend of dirty funk and traditional African rhythms. He was a vocal critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.
Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was interested in politics and social commentary. His parents wanted him to become medical doctor but he had different plans.
A trip to America changed his perspective forever. His music was profoundly affected by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leadership such as Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ethos, which would influence and inform his later work.
He was a writer.
Fela encountered Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X during his time in the United States. The experience inspired him to create a political movement called the Movement of the People, and to compose songs that expressed his thoughts on black and political consciousness. His ideas were expressed publicly through yabis - a form that he described as "freedom expression". He also began to enforce strict moral codes for his band, including refusing to receive medicine from Western-trained doctors.
Fela returned to Nigeria and started building his own club in Ikeja. Raids from police and military officials were almost constant. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers repopulated the area around the club with hard drugs, especially "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Despite this Fela kept his integrity unshaken. His music is a testimony to his determination in challenging authority and ensuring that the desires of the masses are reflected in official goals. It is an enduring legacy that will endure for generations.
He was a poet
In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also snarkily mocked his audience, government officials, and even himself. He also referred to himself in these shows as "the big dick in the little pond." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly, and he was repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, and beaten by the authorities. He eventually took the name Anikulapo, meaning "he carries death in his pocket."
In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers to brainless zombies that followed orders without question. The military was offended by the song and seized Kalakuta Republic. They burned the place down and beat its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela’s mother was thrown out of her second-floor through a window.
Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that following the nation's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with indigenous African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism, and he favored traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticised fellow Africans for betraying their country's tradition. He stressed the importance of freedom and human rights.
He was a rapper
A trumpeter, saxophonist, composer, and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He grew up with jazz and rock and roll, as well as traditional African music and chants which influenced his unique 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 impacted his work in a profound way.
When he returned to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He was critical of the government of his native country and also argued against Western sensibilities that affected African culture. He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.
Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa that is also known as "igbo". He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would lampoon government officials and promote his views on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had an entourage of young women, who danced at his shows and also served as vocal backups for his vocalists.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master at musical fusion. He incorporated elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife into his own distinctive style. He was a leading African musician and vocal critic of colonial ruling.
Despite being snatched and tortured by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died in 1997 from AIDS-related complications.
Fela was a well-known political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the principles Pan Africanism. His albums such as 1973's Gentleman focused on the issue of oppression by both government bodies and colonial parties. He also advocated black power and decried Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of a 1978 album. It describes overcrowded public buses full of poor workers, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce enemy of religious hypocrisy. Fela's dancers were also an excellent complement to his music. They were vivacious, sensual, and regal. Their contributions were as significant as Fela's words.
He was a political activist
Fela Kuti was an activist who used music to challenge the unjust authority. fela accident attorney steered his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms, resulting in a sound that is braced for a fight. The majority of his songs begin as slow instrumentals, gradually adding short-lined melodies and riffs until they explode with a ferocious vigor.
Fela, unlike many artists who were afraid to speak about their politics He was adamant and unbending. He stood in his convictions even when it was dangerous to do so. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a fervent feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was a protestant minister and the president of the teachers' union.
He also founded Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was a symbol of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta Republic and destroyed property, as well as injured Fela. He refused to relent, though and continued to voice his opinion against the government. He died from complications of AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry on his musical and political legacy.
He was a father
Music is often viewed by many as a political act. The lyrics of musicians are used to call for a change. Some of the most powerful music performances are not supported by words. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music still rings out today. He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and hip-hop that was influenced by artists such as James Brown.
Fela's mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a militant and unionist who was a fighter 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 through the band Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The band's music combines the sounds and politics of Fela's day with a fervent denial of the same power structures that continue to exist in the present. Black Times will be released by the end of March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral held in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big, that the police had to shut down the entrance.