Fela Kuti

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(Redirected from Fela Anikulapo Kuti) Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia Jump to: navigation, search Fela Kuti Birth name Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome Kuti Also known as Fela Anikulapo Kuti Born Octo!er "#, "$%&("$%& "' "#) Origin A!eokuta, (igeria Died August ), "$$* (aged #&) Genre(s Afro!eat Occupation(s +inger song,riter, instrumentalist !nstrument(s +a-ophone, singing, ke.!oards, trumpet, guitar, drum "ears acti#e "$#& "$$* $a%el(s afro!eat Associated acts Africa /*', 0g.pt &', Koola 1o!itos, (igeria /*' We%site felapro2ect3net Fela Anikulapo Kuti (!orn Olufela Olusegun Oludotun &ansome'Kuti, Octo!er "#, "$%& August ), "$$*), or simpl. Fela, ,as a (igerian multi instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afro!eat music, human rights activist, and political maverick3 4e ,as ranked at num!er 56 in a list of the top "'' most influential musicians compiled !. 4783 9":

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9hide: " ;iograph. ) 7usic % <olitical vie,s 5 =iscograph. # References 6 +ources * 8ideo & +ee also $ 0-ternal links

)edit* Biography
Fela ,as !orn in A!eokuta, Ogun +tate, (igeria9): to a middle class famil.3 4is mother, Funmila.o Ransome Kuti, ,as a feminist active in the anti colonial movement and his father, Reverend >srael Oludotun Ransome Kuti, a <rotestant minister and school <rincipal, ,as the first president of the (igerian ?nion of @eachers3 4is !rothers, =r3 ;eko Ransome Kuti and Oliko.e Ransome Kuti, ,ere !oth ,ell kno,n in (igeria3 Fela was sent to $ondon in +,-. to study medicine %ut decided to study music instead at the /rinity (ollege of 0usic3 Ahile there, he formed the !and Koola 1o!itos, pla.ing a st.le of music that he ,ould later call Afro!eat3 @he st.le ,as a fusion of American JaBB and Funk ,ith Aest African 4ighlife3 >n "$6", Fela married his first ,ife, Remilekun (Remi) @a.lor, ,ith ,hom he ,ould have three children (Femi, Ceni and +ola)3 >n "$6%, Fela moved !ack to (igeria, re formed Koola 1o!itos and trained as a radio producer for the (igerian ;roadcasting Dorporation3 >n "$6$, Fela took the !and to the ?nited +tates3 Ahile there, Fela discovered the !lack po,er movement through +andra +mith(no, >sidore) a partisan of the ;lack <anther <art. ,hich ,ould heavil. influence his music and political vie,s and renamed the !and E(igeria *'E3 +oon, the >mmigration and (aturaliBation +ervice ,ere tipped off !. a promoter that

Fela and his !and ,ere in the ?+ ,ithout ,ork permits3 @he !and then performed a Fuick recording session in 1os Angeles, ,hich ,ould later !e released as E@he /6$ 1os Angeles +essionsE3 Fela and his %and, renamed 1Africa 2341 returned to 5igeria6 7e then formed the Kalakuta &epu%lic, a commune, a recording studio and a home for many connected to the %and which he later declared independent from the 5igerian state3 Fela set up a nightclu! in the 0mpire 4otel, named the Afro +pot and then the Afrika +hrine, ,here he performed regularl.3 Fela also changed his middle name to EAnikulapoE (meaning Ehe ,ho carries death in his pouchE)9%:, stating that his original middle name of Ransome ,as a slave name3 @he recordings continued, and the music !ecame more politicall. motivated3 Fela/s music !ecame ver. popular among the (igerian pu!lic and Africans in general3 !n fact, he made the decision to sing in 8idgin 9nglish so that his music could %e en:oyed %y indi#iduals all o#er Africa , ,here the local languages spoken are ver. diverse and numerous3 As popular as Fela2s music had %ecome in 5igeria and elsewhere, it was also #ery unpopular with the ruling go#ernment, and raids on the Kalakuta &epu%lic were fre;uent6 !n +,3< the police arri#ed with a search warrant and a canna%is :oint, which they had intended to plant on Fela6 7e %ecame wise to this and swallowed the :oint6 !n response, the police took him into custody and waited to e=amine his feces6 Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and ga#e the police someone else2s feces, and Fela was freed6 7e then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit6 >n "$** Fela and the Afrika *' released the hit al!um Zombie, a scathing attack on (igerian soldiers using the EBom!ieE metaphor to descri!e the methods of the (igerian militar.3 @he al!um ,as a smash hit ,ith the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Repu!lic, during ,hich one thousand soldiers attacked the commune3 Fela was se#erely %eaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal in:uries3 @he Kalakuta Repu!lic ,as !urned, and Fela/s studio, instruments, and master tapes ,ere destro.ed3 Fela claimed that he ,ould have !een killed if it ,ere not for the intervention of a commanding officer as he ,as !eing !eaten3 Fela/s response to the attack ,as to deliver his mother/s coffin to the main arm. !arrack in 1agos and ,rite t,o songs, EDoffin for 4ead of +tateE and E?nkno,n +oldier,E referencing the official inFuir. ,hich claimed the commune had !een destro.ed !. an unkno,n soldier3 Fela and his !and then took residence in Drossroads 4otel as the +hrine had !een destro.ed along ,ith his commune3 >n "$*& Fela married t,ent. seven ,omen, man. of ,hom ,ere his dancers,composers and singers to mark the anniversar. of the attack on the Kalakuta Repu!lic3 1ater, he ,as to adopt a rotation s.stem of keeping onl. t,elve simultaneous ,ives395: @he .ear ,as also marked !. t,o notorious concerts, the first in Accra in ,hich riots !roke out during the song EGom!ieE ,hich led to Fela !eing !anned from entering Hhana3 @he second ,as at the ;erlin JaBB Festival after ,hich most of Fela/s musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela ,as planning to use the entiret. of the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign3 =espite the massive set!acks, Fela ,as determined to come !ack3 4e formed his o,n political part., ,hich he called E7ovement of the <eopleE3 >n "$*$ he put himself for,ard for <resident in (igeria/s first elections for more than a decade !ut his candidature ,as refused3 At this time, Fela created a ne, !and called E0g.pt &'E and continued to record al!ums and tour the countr.3 4e further infuriated the political esta!lishment !. dropping the names of >@@ vice president 7oshood A!iola and then Heneral Olusegun O!asan2o at the end of a hot selling )# minute political screed entitled E>3@3@3(>nternational @hief @hief)E3 >n "$&5 he ,as again attacked !. the 7ilitar. government, ,ho 2ailed him on a du!ious charge of currenc. smuggling3 4is case ,as taken up !. several human rights groups, and after t,ent. months, he ,as released from prison !. Heneral >!rahim ;a!angida3 On his release he divorced his t,elve remaining ,ives, telling E7arriage !rings 2ealous. and selfishnessE39#: Once again, Fela continued to release al!ums ,ith 0g.pt &', made a num!er of successful tours of the ?nited +tates and 0urope and also continued to !e politicall. active3 >n "$&6, Fela performed in Hiants +tadium in (e, Jerse. as part of the Amnest. >nternational EDonspirac. of 4opeE concert, sharing the !ill ,ith ;ono, Darlos +antana, and @he (eville ;rothers3 >n "$&$, Fela I 0g.pt &' released the anti apartheid E;easts of (o (ationE al!um ,hich depicts on its cover ?3+3 <resident Ronald Reagan, ?3K3 <rime 7inister 7argaret @hatcher and +outh African <rime 7inister <3A3 ;otha ,ith fangs dripping !lood3 4is al!um output slo,ed in the "$$'s, and eventuall. he stopped releasing al!ums altogether3 @he !attle against militar. corruption in (igeria ,as taking its toll, especiall. during the rise of dictator +ani A!acha3 Rumors ,ere also spreading that he ,as suffering from an illness for ,hich he ,as refusing treatment3 On August %, "$$* Oliko.e Ransome Kuti, alread. a prominent A>=+ activist and former 7inister of 4ealth, stunned the nation !. announcing his .ounger !rother/s death a da. earlier from Kaposi/s sarcoma !rought

on !. A>=+3 (@heir .ounger !rother, ;eko, ,as in 2ail at this time at the hand of A!acha for political activit.)3 7ore than a million people attended Fela/s funeral at the site of the old +hrine compound3 A ne, Africa +hrine has opened since Fela/s death in a different section of 1agos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti3

)edit* 0usic
@he musical st.le performed !. Fela Kuti is called Afro!eat, ,hich is essentiall. a fusion of 2aBB, funk and @raditional African Dhant3 >t is characteriBed !. having African st.le percussion, vocals, and musical structure, along ,ith 2aBB., funk. horn sections3 @he Eendless grooveE is also used, in ,hich a !ase rh.thm of drums, muted guitar, and !ass guitar are repeated throughout the song3 @his is a common techniFue in African and African influenced musical st.les, and can !e seen in funk and hip hop3 +ome elements often present in Fela/s music are the call and response ,ith the chorus and figurative !ut simple l.rics3 Fela/s songs ,ere almost al,a.s over ten minutes in length, some reaching the t,ent. or even thirt. minute marks3 @his ,as one of man. reasons that his music never reached a su!stantial degree of popularit. outside of Africa3 4is songs ,ere mostl. sung in (igerian pidgin, although he also performed a fe, songs in the Coru!a language3 Fela/s main instruments ,ere the sa-ophone and the ke.!oards !ut he also pla.ed the trumpet, guitar and made the occasional drum solo3 Fela refused to perform songs again after he had alread. recorded them, ,hich also hindered his popularit. outside Africa3 Fela ,as kno,n for his sho,manship, and his concerts ,ere often Fuite outlandish and ,ild3 4e refered to his stage act as his Eunderground spiritual gameE3

)edit* 8olitical #iews

@he American ;lack <o,er movement influenced Fela/s political vie,s3 4e ,as also a supporter of <an Africanism and socialism and has called for a united, democratic African repu!lic3 4e ,as a fierce supporter of human rights, and man. of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specificall. the militaristic governments of (igeria in the "$*'s and "$&'s3 4e ,as also a social commentator, and criticiBed his fello, Africans (especiall. the upper class) for !etra.ing traditional African culture3 @he African culture he !elieved in also included having man. ,ives (pol.g.n.) and the Kalakuta Repu!lic ,as formed in part as a pol.gamist colon.3 4e defended his stance on pol.g.n. ,ith the ,ordsJ EA man goes for man. ,omen in the first place3 1ike in 0urope, ,hen a man is married, ,hen the ,ife is sleeping, he goes out and fucks around3 4e should !ring the ,omen in the house, man, to live ,ith him, and stop running around the streetsKE96:3 4is vie,s to,ards ,omen are characterised !. some as misog.nist, ,ith songs like E7attressE t.picall. cited as evidence9*:3 4o,ever, he also e-tolls African ,omanhood in his song E1ad.E, singing E1ad. na (is) masterE3 >t should !e noted though that Fela ,as ver. open ,hen it came to se-, as he portra.ed in some of his songs, like EOpen and DloseE and E(a <oiE3

)edit* Discography
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