10 Things You'll Need To Be Aware Of Fela

Fela Kuti

Fela is a man with contradictions. This is what makes him so intriguing. People who love him forgive the bad parts of him.

His songs often run for longer than 20 minutes and are sung in dense, almost unintelligible Pidgin English. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music. He also incorporates jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with horns and guitars.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music is a tool for change. His music was used to argue for social, political and economic reforms. His influence is still felt to this day. Afrobeat is a style of music that combines African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music as well as funk. However it has evolved into a new genre.

His political activism was ferocious and unflinching. He used 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 provocative criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also referred to Kalakuta as a place to meet like-minded people and to promote political activism.

The play features a huge portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a renowned feminist and activist. The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs who has successfully communicated her importance in the life of Fela. The play also highlights her political activism. Despite her declining health, she refused to get tested for AIDS and instead opted for traditional medicine.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome-Kuti was a multifaceted man who employed his music to effect political change. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat, an energetic mix of dirty funk and traditional African rhythms. He was a fierce critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Being raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was interested in social commentary and politics. His parents wanted him to become a physician but he had different plans.

While he started in a more political highlife fashion, a trip in America could alter his perspective forever. The music he composed was greatly influenced by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leadership like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a philosophy of Pan-Africanism, 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. The experience inspired him to create a political group called the Movement of the People and compose songs that expressed the ideas that he held about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed publicly through yabis, a form of public speaking he called "freedom expression". He also began imposing an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to accept medication from Western-trained doctors.

Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja. The police and military officials were every day. The Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers-on who he had re the area around the club with hard drugs, especially  the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Fela was a steadfast person in spite of this. His music speaks of his determination to challenge authority and demanding that popular ambitions are manifested in official goals. It is an extraordinary legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.

He was a poet

Fela's music employed sarcasm and humor to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also poked fun at his audience, the government, and even himself. In these shows, he referred to himself as "the big dick in the pond with a little." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities, and he was repeatedly detained and imprisonments, as well as beatings at the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which translates to "he carries his death in his bag."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies who were able to follow orders without hesitation. This offended the military, which raided the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. During the raid, her mother was thrown out of her second-floor window.

In the decades following the independence of Nigeria, Fela created Afrobeat, the genre of music that combines jazz and native African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African religions and culture. He also criticized fellow Africans who betrayed their country's customs. He stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was a hip-hop artist

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a saxophonist and trumpeter, was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer of Afrobeat music. He grew up with jazz music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped shape 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 dramatically.

The music of Fela became a political instrument after his return to Nigeria. He criticized the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about societal inequities and human rights violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis" where he would slam government officials and spread his beliefs on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had an harem, which was an ensemble of young women who performed at his shows as well as backed him vocally.

fela attorneys  was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion. He incorporated elements of beat music, and highlife into his own distinctive style. He was a renowned African musician and a vocal critic of colonial rule.

Despite being tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta and seeing his mother be killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died in 1997 of AIDS-related complications.

Fela was an activist for the political cause who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, like 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial forces. He also advocated black power and criticised Christianity, Islam and other non-African influences for dividing the people of Africa. The title track on a 1978 album, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crammed public busses packed with workers "shuffering and smiling." Fela was a strong opponent of hypocrisy in religion. His music was in turn complemented by his dancers who were lively, sensual, and regal. Their contributions to the performance were as significant as the words Fela used.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti used music as a way to challenge unjust authorities. He steered his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms, creating a sound that is braced for a fight. Most of his songs begin with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers riffs, long-lined melody lines and other elements until they explode with a sense of urgency.

Fela, unlike many artists who were scared to speak about their politics was unflinching and uncompromising. He stood up for what he believed in, even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist 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 recording studio and commune that grew into a symbol of the resistance. The government seized the commune, degrading the property and hurting Fela badly. He refused to back down, though, and continued to speak out against the government. He died in 1997 from complications caused by 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 thought of as a political act and musicians use lyrics to demand change. Some of the most powerful music demonstrations are not performed with words. Fela Kuti was one such artist, and his music is still ringing out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat music, which blends traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hip-hop that was being influenced by artists like James Brown.

Fela's mother, Funmilayo Runsome-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 that Nigeria should serve its all citizens.

Seun Fela's Son is carrying on his father's legacy with a band named Egypt 80. The band is on tour around the world this year. The Egypt 80's music combines the sound of Fela with a sharp critique of the power structures that exist today. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Many fans attended the funeral and paid their respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so huge, that police had to block the entrance.