Fela Kuti

"Fela" redirects here. For the Broadway musical based on his life, see Fela!

Fela Kuti
Kuti in 1970
Kuti in 1970
Background information
Birth nameOlufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti
Born(1938-10-15)15 October 1938
Abeokuta, British Nigeria
Died2 August 1997(1997-08-02) (aged 58)
Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • bandleader
  • activist
Instruments
  • Saxophone
  • vocals
  • keyboards
  • trumpet
  • guitar
  • drums
Years active1958–1997
Labels
SpouseRemilekun Taylor
Websitefelakuti.com

Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz.[1] At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".[2] AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.[3]

Kuti was the son of Nigerian women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa '70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which he was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria's military juntas.[3] In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1978 raid that injured Kuti and his mother.[4] He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. He continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti.[3]

  1. ^ Albert Oikelome. "Stylistic Analysis of Afrobeat Music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti" (PDF). Analysisworldmusic. Analysisworldmusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  2. ^ Grass, Randall F. (1 January 1986). "Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: The Art of an Afrobeat Rebel". The Drama Review: TDR. 30 (1): 131–148. doi:10.2307/1145717. JSTOR 1145717.
  3. ^ a b c Fela Kuti at AllMusic
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Barrett_1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).