10 Times You'll Have To Know About Fela

Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full contradictions, and that's a large part of what makes him captivating. People who love him can accept his flaws.

His songs can last up to 20 minutes, and are sung in dense, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music. He also includes jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with guitars and horns.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music can be a tool for change. His music was used to call for social, political and economic change. His influence is still evident to this day. His musical style, Afrobeat, is a blend of African and Western influences. Its roots lie in West-African hip-life music and funk, but it has since developed into its own genre.

His political activism was ferocious and he did it without fear. He made use of his music to protest against corruption in the 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 made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as an enclave for political activism and an opportunity to meet like-minded people.

The play includes a large portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent activist and feminist pioneer. The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs who has successfully conveyed her significance in the life of Fela. The play also explores on her political involvement. Despite her condition deteriorating, she refused to be tested for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatment.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome Kuti was a multifaceted person who utilized music to bring about changes in the political landscape. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat, an invigorating hybrid of funk, dirty and traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

His mother was a suffragist against colonialism So it's not surprising that he is a fan for political commentaries and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be a physician, but he had different plans.

While he started in a more apolitical, highlife fashion, a trip in America would change his outlook forever. His music was profoundly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He embraced the Pan-Africanism philosophy, which would guide and inform his later work.

He was a writer.

While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. This led him to create an organization called the Movement of the People and write songs that reflected the thoughts he had about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed through the method of yabis, which is an art of public speaking that was referred to as 'freedom of expression'. He also started to impose an ethical code on his band. This included refusing to take medication from Western-trained physicians.

Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja. Police and military officials were constant. fela settlements -Idi Oro hangers-on who he had re the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, including 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). Fela kept his integrity despite this. His music speaks of his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are recognized in official goals. It is a remarkable legacy that will be remembered for generations to be.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his fans as well as the government and himself. During these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities, and he was frequently arrested, imprisonments and beatings at the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which translates to "he has his body in his purse."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies that were able to follow orders without hesitation. The military was irritated by this and seized Kalakuta Republic. They burned it down and beat its residents. During the raid, her mother was thrown from her second-floor window.

Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that after the country's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and the indigenous African rhythm. His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticised fellow Africans for betraying their country's traditions. He stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was an artist of hip-hop.

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 music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants, which helped form his 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 dramatically.

When he returned to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He was critical of 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 violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, also known as "igbo" in Africa. He often held public debates at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would lampoon officials of the government and share his beliefs on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had a harem, a group of young women who performed at his shows as well as supported him vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master at musical fusion. He combined elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife into his own unique style. He was a leading African musician and vocal critic of colonial rule.

Despite being arrested 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 criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums including 1973's Gentleman, focused on fighting oppression from both government bodies and colonial parties. He also promoted black power and criticized Christianity and Islam as non-African imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of an album from 1978. It describes overcrowded public transports filled with working poor people, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce anti-religious hypocrisy. Fela's dancers were also an excellent match for his music. They were vivacious, sensual, and regal. Their contributions were as significant as Fela's lyrics.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti used music as a tool to challenge unjust authorities. He took his knowledge of American funk and jazz toward African styles and rhythms, resulting in music that is ready for battle. Most of his songs start with slow-burning instrumentals, then adding short-lined melodies and riffs until they burst with urgency.

Contrary to the majority of artists, who were hesitant to publicly discuss their political views, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood in his convictions even when it was risky to do so. His mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti, was an avowed feminist who led 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 a symbol of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic and destroyed property, as well as injured Fela. He refused to give up, however and continued to speak out against the government. He passed away in 1997 of complications related to AIDS. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to carry on his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen as a political act, with musicians using lyrics to call for change. But some of the most effective musical protests don't use words at all. Fela Kuti is one of these artists and his music resonates today. He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hip-hop that was influenced by artists such as James Brown.

Fela's mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti, was an activist 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 that Nigeria should be serving its entire population.

Seun, Fela's Son, continues to carry on his father's legacy with a band named Egypt 80. The band is on tour around the world this year. The band's music blends the music and politics of Fela's era with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that are still in place today. Black Times will be released by the end of March. Thousands of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral held in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big that police had to shut off the entrance to the location.