Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (b. Fela Ransome Kuti, October 15 1938 - August 2 1997), or simply "Fela", was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist and political maverick.
Biography
Fela Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria to a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo, was active in the anti-colonial movement. His parents sent him to London in 1958 with the intention of having him study medicine, but he decided to study music instead. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music Fela called Afrobeat. The style was a fusion of American jazz with West African highlife. In the late 1960s the band toured the United States. While there, Fela discovered the black power movement, which would heavily influence his music and political views. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service were tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the US without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles, which would later be released as "The '69 Los Angeles Sessions".
Fela and his band, renamed "Africa 70", then returned to Nigeria. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune which also served as a recording studio. Fela also changed his middle name to "Anikulapo", stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public. However, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. In 1974 the police arrived with a search warrant and a cannabis joint, which they had intended to plant on Fela. He became wise to this and swallowed the joint. In response, the police took him into custody and waited to examine his feces. Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and gave the police someone else's feces, and Fela was freed. He then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit.
In 1977 Fela and Africa 70 released the hit album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers which used the "zombie" metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The record was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off vicious attacks against the Kalakuta Republic. In one raid, one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed.
Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. In 1979 he formed his own political party, which he called "Movement of the People", and ran for President of Nigeria. Although he did not win, the military government was ousted and civilians were back in power. At this time, Fela renamed his band "Egypt 80" and continued to record albums and tour the country. In 1983 he again ran for President but was again attacked by police, who threw him in prison on a dubious charge of currency smuggling. After twenty months, the regime changed once again and Fela was released from prison. Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt 80, and also continued to be politically active.
His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. This led to rumors that he was suffering from an illness that he was refusing treatment for. It was announced that he died on August 2, 1997 in Lagos, Nigeria. Later, it was revealed that he succumbed to AIDS-related heart failure.
Music
The musical style performed by Fela Kuti was called Afrobeat, which was essentially a fusion of jazz and West African highlife. Therefore it was characterized by having African style percussion, vocals, and musical structure, along with jazzy horn sections. The "endless groove" was also used, in which a base rhythm of drums, muted guitar, and bass guitar are repeated throughout the song. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip-hop. Fela's songs were almost always over ten minutes in length, some reaching the twenty or even thirty minute marks. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside of Africa. His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin English, although he did also perform a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa. Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild.
Political Views
The American Black Power movement influenced Fela's political views. He was also a supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism, and called for a united, democratic African republic. He was a fierce supporter of human rights, and many of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specifically the militaristic governments of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a social commentator, and criticized his fellow Africans (especially the upper class) for betraying traditional African culture. However, he was not very wise to women's rights in the Western sense. Fela practiced polygamy, and the Kalakuta Republic was formed in part as a polygamist colony. This may have contributed to his ultimate death of complications from AIDS.
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1971 | Live ! (with Ginger Baker) | Regal Zonophone / Pathe Marconi |
| 1971 | Why Black Man Dey Suffer | EMI / Decca Afrodesia |
| 1972 | Stratavarious (with Ginger Baker) | Polydor / Atco |
| 1972 | Na Poi | EMI HMV |
| 1972 | Open & Close | EMI / Pathe Marconi |
| 1972 | Shakara | EMI / Editions Makossa / Pathe Marconi / Creole |
| 1972 | Roforofo Fight | Jofabro / Editions Makossa / Pathe Marconi |
| 1973 | Afrodisiac | EMI/ Regal Zonophone / Pathe Marconi |
| 1973 | Gentleman | EMI / Pathe Marconi / Creole |
| 1974 | Alagbon Close | Jofabro / Editions Makossa |
| 1975 | Noise for Vendor Mouth | Afrobeat |
| 1975 | Confusion | EMI / Pathe Marconi |
| 1975 | Everything Scatter | Coconut / Creole |
| 1975 | He Miss Road | EMI / Pathe Marconi |
| 1975 | Expensive Shit | Soundwork Shop / Editions Makossa |
| 1976 | No Bread | Soundwork Shop / Editions Makossa |
| 1976 | Kalakuta Show | Kalakuta / Editions Makossa |
| 1976 | Upside Down | Decca Afrodisia |
| 1976 | Ikoyi Blindness | Africa Music |
| 1976 | Before I Jump Like Monkey Give Me Banana | Coconut |
| 1976 | Excuse O | Coconut |
| 1976 | Zombie | Coconut / Creole / Mercury |
| 1976 | Yellow Fever | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | Opposite People | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | Fear Not For Man | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | Stalemate | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | Observation No Crime | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | Johnny Just Drop (J.J.D Live!! at Kalakuta Republic) | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | I Go Shout Plenty | Decca Afrodesia |
| 1977 | No Agreement | Decca Afrodesia / Barclay / Celluloid |
| 1977 | Sorrow, Tears and Blood | Kalakuta |
| 1978 | Shuffering and Shmiling | Coconut / Celluloid |
| 1979 | Unknown Soldier | Phonodisk / Uno Melodic |
| 1979 | I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) | Kalakuta |
| 1980 | Music of Many Colours (with Roy Ayers) | Phonodisk / Celluloid |
| 1980 | Authority Stealing | Kalakuta |
| 1981 | Original Sufferhead | Lagos International / Arista |
| 1981 | Coffin for Head of State | Kalakuta |
| 1983 | Perambulator | Lagos International |
| 1985 | Army Arrangement | Kalakuta / Celluloid |
| 1986 | Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense | Polygram / Barclay |
| 1989 | Beasts of No Nation | Kalakuta / Eurobound / Shanachie |
| 1989 | O.D.O.O. (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake) | Kalakuta / Shanachie |
| 1990 | Confusion Break Bones | Kalakuta |
| 1990 | Just Like That | Kalakuta |
| 1992 | Underground System | Kalakuta / Sterns |
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