Born - 15 October 1938 Abeokuta, Western Region, British Nigeria (now Abeokuta, Ogun State,

Genres

• Afrobeat

• highlife

Occupation(s)

• Singer-songwriter

• musician

• activist

Instruments

• Saxophone

• vocals

• keyboards

• trumpet

• guitar

• drums

Years active - 1958–1997

Labels.

• Barclay/PolyGram

• MCA/Universal

• Celluloid

• EMI Nigeria

• JVC

• Wrasse

• Shanachie

• Knitting Factory

Associated acts

• Africa '70

• Egypt '80

• Koola Lobitos

• Nigeria '70

• Hugh Masekela

• Ginger Baker

• Tony Allen

• Femi Kuti

• Seun Kuti

• Roy Ayers

• Lester Bowie

Website - felakuti.com.

Abeokuta owns African international multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is best known as a pioneer of the Afro-beat genre, a blend of traditional Yoruba and Afro-Cuban music with funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers". AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.

Fela was the son of Nigerian women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa '70 (including drummer Tony Allen) became stars in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which time he was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria's military junta.In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule and was destroyed in a violent 1977 raid.Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son Femi Kuti.

he musical style of Fela is called Afrobeat, a style he largely created, which is a complex fusion of jazz, funk, Ghanaian highlife, psychedelic rock and traditional West African chants and rhythms. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native "tinker pan".Tony Allen (Fela's drummer of twenty years) was instrumental in the creation of Afrobeat. Fela once stated that "there would be no Afrobeat, without Tony Allen".[citation needed]

Afrobeat is characterized by a fairly large band with many instruments, vocals and a musical structure featuring jazzy, funky horn sections. A riff-based "endless groove" is used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted West African-style guitar and melodic bass guitar riffs are repeated throughout the song. Commonly, interlocking melodic riffs and rhythms are introduced one by one, building the groove bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer. The horn section then becomes prominent, introducing other riffs and main melodic themes.

Fela's band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups were using only one of this instrument. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles and can be seen in funk and hip hop. His bands at times even performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands are paramount, but are used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff or groove.

Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. His songs were also very long, at least 10–15 minutes in length, and many reached 20 or even 30 minutes, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside Africa. His LP records frequently had one 30-minute track per side. Typically there is an "Instrumental Introduction" jam part of the song, perhaps 10–15 minutes long, before Fela starts singing the "main" part of the song, featuring his lyrics and singing, in which the song continues for another 10–15 minutes. Therefore, on some recordings, one may see his songs divided into two parts, Part 1 being instrumental and Part 2 involving both music and singing.

Fela's songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin English, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. His main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, electric guitar, and took the occasional drum solo. 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. He referred to his stage act as the "Underground" Spiritual Game. Those who were disappointed in Fela's performance, had never really seen him perform before. Many expected him to perform like those in Western world. But during the 1980s, Fela was not interested in putting on a "show". His European performance was a representation of what was relevant at the time and his other inspirations.He attempted to make a movie, but lost all the materials to the fire that was set to his house by the military government in power. He thought that art, and thus his own music, should have political meaning.

As Fela's musical career developed, so too did his political influence throughout the world. In turn, the religious aspect of his musical approach grew. Fela was a part of an Afro-Centric consciousness movement that was founded on and delivered through his music. In an interview found in the Hank Bordowitz analysis Noise of the World, Fela stated: "Music is supposed to have an effect. If you're playing music and people don't feel something, you're not doing shit. That's what African music is about. When you hear something, you must move. I want to move people to dance, but also to think. Music wants to dictate a better life, against a bad life. When you're listening to something that depicts having a better life, and you're not having a better life, it must have an effect on you."

Fela's music and strong sense of sharing humanist and activist ideas grew from the environment he was in. In interview footage found in Faces of Africa on CGTN Africa, he spoke of a comparison between English love songs and his own music: "Yes, if you are in England, the music can be an instrument of enjoyment. You can sing about love, you can sing about whom you are going to bed with next. But in my own environment, my society is underdeveloped because of an alien system on our people. So there is no music enjoyment. There is nothing like love. There is something like struggle for people's existence.".

Kuti is remembered as an influential icon who was brave enough to boldly voice his opinions on matters that affected the nation through his music. An annual festival "Felabration" held each year to celebrate the life of this music legend and his birthday.

Since his death in 1997, there has been a revival of his influence in music and popular culture, culminating in another re-release of his catalog controlled by Universal Music, Broadway and off-Broadway biographically based shows, and new bands, such as Antibalas, who carry the Afrobeat banner to a new generation of listeners.

In 1999, Universal Music France, under the aegis of Francis Kertekian, remastered the 45 albums that it controlled, and released them on 26 compact discs. These titles were licensed to all countries of the world, except Nigeria and Japan, where Fela's music was controlled by other companies. In 2005, Universal Music USA licensed all of its world-music titles to the UK-based label Wrasse Records, which repackaged the same 26 discs for distribution in the USA (where they replaced the titles issues by MCA) and the UK. In 2009, Universal created a new deal for the US with Knitting Factory Records and for Europe, with PIAS, which included the release of the Broadway cast recording of the musical Fela!. In 2013, FKO Ltd., the entity that owned the rights of all of Fela's compositions, was acquired by BMG Rights Management.

In 2003, an exhibition in the New Museum for Contemporary Art, New York, titled The Black President Exhibition, debuted and featured concerts, symposia, films, and the works of 39 international artists.[43][41][44]

American singer Bilal recorded a remake of Kuti's 1977 song "Sorrow Tears and Blood" for his second album, Love for Sale, featuring a guest rap by Common. Bilal cited Kuti's mix of jazz and folktastes as an influence on his music.

The 2007 film The Visitor, directed by Thomas McCarthy, depicted a disconnected professor (Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins) who wanted to play the djembe; he learns from a young Syrian (Haaz Sleiman) who tells the professor he will never truly understand African music unless he listens to Fela. The film features clips of Fela's "Open and Close" and "Je'nwi Temi (Don't Gag Me)".

In 2008, an off-Broadway production of Kuti's life, entitled Fela! and inspired by the 1982 book Fela, Fela! This Bitch of a Life by Carlos Moore, began with a collaborative workshop between the Afrobeat band Antibalas and Tony award-winner Bill T. Jones. The production was a massive success, selling out performances during its run, and garnering much critical acclaim. On 22 November 2009, Fela! began a run on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Jim Lewis helped co-write the script (along with Jones), and obtained producer backing from Jay-Z and Will Smith, among others. On 4 May 2010, Fela! was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Bill T. Jones, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Sahr Ngaujah, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Lillias White.In 2011, the London production of Fela! (staged at the Royal National Theatre) was made into a film.On 11 June 2012, it was announced that Fela! would return to Broadway for 32 performances.

On 18 August 2009, and via his website, award-winning DJ J.Period released a free mixtape to the general public, entitled The Messengers, which was a collaboration with Somali-born hip-hop artist K'naan paying tribute to Fela, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.

Two months later, Knitting Factory Records began the process of re-releasing the 45 titles that Universal Music controls, starting with yet another re-release in the USA of the compilation The Best of the Black President. The rest were expected to be released in 2010.[needs update]

Fela Son of Kuti: The Fall of Kalakuta is a stage play written by Onyekaba Cornel Best in 2010. It has had successful acclaim as part of that year's Felabration celebration, and returned in 2014 at the National Theatre and Freedom Park in Lagos. The play deals with events in a hideout, a day after the fall of Kalakuta.

The full-length documentary film Finding Fela, directed by Alex Gibney, received its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Fela Kuti statue at Ikeja, Lagos

In addition, a biographical movie by Focus Features, directed by Steve McQueen and written by Biyi Bandele, was rumoured to be in production 2010, with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead role, but this has not eventuated.

His song "Zombie" has appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: IV