Remembering Fela Kuti

August is a month to remember Fela. On August 3, 1997, the world lost one of its most influential musicians. Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the inventor of Afrobeat Jazz. He was producer, musician, activist, and outlaw. He was also a showman, a megalomaniac, an outspoken believer in polygamy, and an irredeemable sexist.

This last is surprising, as his mother, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, has been described as “The Mother of Africa” due to her early and lifelong work for women’s rights. She was also an activist in the anti-colonial, anti-military, Nigerian home rule movement. Fela’s father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a minister and school principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers.

So, Fela grew up in a home suffused with political awareness. Fela, himself, was known for his radical political views (for the time). He was heavily influenced by the writings of Malcom X and Eldridge Cleaver (the Black Panthers), and his music called out for African self-rule and an end to colonialism. When asked if he considered himself a radical, Fela said, “A radical is he who has no sense…fights without reason…I have a reason. I am authentic. Yes, that’s what I am.”

Fela was a complex man who was almost more than one life can hold. He named his style of music Afrobeat, a fusion of African jazz and funk with West African Highlife. Other artists, such as The Chicago Afrobeat Project, have evolved the genre even further, including elements of modern jazz, post-rock, and big band Latin funk. Afrobeat’s influence has also spread to artists like Brian Eno and David Byrne who worked on Talking Heads’ 1980 album, Remain In Light. The album brought Afrobeat rhythms to Western music. Both men credit Fela Kuti as a major influence.

I want to remember Fela Anikulapo Kuti with a Tune Bitez Afrobeat Playlist. I’ve included songs by The Chicago Afrobeat Project, Antibalas, Femi Kuti (Fela’s son), and Tony Allen. Allen was drummer and unofficial music director of Fela’s band, Africa 70, from 1968 until 1979. And, of course, the playlist wouldn’t be complete without Fela’s own work. Check it out.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.