Femi Kuti
Encyclopedia
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962) popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigeria
n musician
and the eldest son of afrobeat
pioneer Fela Kuti
.
Femi was born in London to Fela and Remi Kuti and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos
. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, though, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi eventually became a member of his father's band.
Like his father, Femi has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes throughout his career.
He created his own band Positive Force in late 80s with Dele Sosimi
(Gbedu
Resurrection), former key-board player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at Festival d'Angoulême (France), New Morning Club
in Paris and Moers Festival in Germany.
In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of U.S. musicians, such as Common
, Mos Def
, and Jaguar Wright
.
In 2002, Femi's mother, who had played an influential role in Femi's life, died at the age of 60. Femi's son currently appears as part of his act, playing alto saxophone.
Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song, "Water No Get Enemy," to Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti
that was released by the Red Hot Organization
and MCA. His track was created in collaboration with hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo
, Macy Gray
, The Soultronics
, Nile Rodgers
, and Roy Hargrove
, and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.
Femi Kuti's voice is featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV
, where he is the host of radio station IF 99 (International Funk 99, described as "playing a great selection of classics from West Africa, the US and elsewhere").
Kuti's first nomination for a grammy occurred in 2003 and he was again nominated for a second time in 2010 in the world music category.
In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry".
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and the eldest son of afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
pioneer Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
.
Femi was born in London to Fela and Remi Kuti and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, though, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi eventually became a member of his father's band.
Like his father, Femi has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes throughout his career.
He created his own band Positive Force in late 80s with Dele Sosimi
Dele Sosimi
Bamidele Olatunbosun Sosimi, known as Dele Sosimi, is a Nigerian-British musician .-Biography:His career began when he joined Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's Egypt 80 . Then he created Positive Force band with Femi Kuti, with whom he performed from 1986 to 1994...
(Gbedu
Gbedu
Gbedu literally means "big drum" and is a percussion instrument traditionally used in ceremonial Yoruba music in Nigeria and Benin.More recently, the word has come to be used to describe forms of Nigerian Afrobeat and Hip Hop music.-Tradition:...
Resurrection), former key-board player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at Festival d'Angoulême (France), New Morning Club
New Morning (club)
New Morning is a Parisian music nightclub that opened in 1981, specialising in jazz and blues.Its concerts are often featured on Mezzo TV.-History:The first concert was given on 16 April 1981 by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers....
in Paris and Moers Festival in Germany.
In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of U.S. musicians, such as Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
, Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
, and Jaguar Wright
Jaguar Wright
Jaguar Wright is a soul/R&B vocalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is part of the Okayplayer collective. She has performed along rap acts such as The Roots, Jay-Z, and Blackalicious.-Career:...
.
In 2002, Femi's mother, who had played an influential role in Femi's life, died at the age of 60. Femi's son currently appears as part of his act, playing alto saxophone.
Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song, "Water No Get Enemy," to Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
that was released by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
and MCA. His track was created in collaboration with hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, The Soultronics
The Soultronics
The Soultronics was an American R&B and neo soul supergroup that served as the backing band for musician D'Angelo in 2000 during The Voodoo Tour, the supporting tour for his second studio album Voodoo...
, Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, and Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
, and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.
Femi Kuti's voice is featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
, where he is the host of radio station IF 99 (International Funk 99, described as "playing a great selection of classics from West Africa, the US and elsewhere").
Kuti's first nomination for a grammy occurred in 2003 and he was again nominated for a second time in 2010 in the world music category.
In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry".
Discography
- No Cause For Alarm? (1989, Polygram)
- M.Y.O.B. (1991, Meodie)
- Femi KutiFemi Kuti (album)Femi Kuti is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in 1995.-Track listing:# "Wonder, Wonder" – 6:06# "Survival" – 8:55# "Frustrations" – 9:06# "Nawa " – 0:30# "Nawa" – 8:39# "Plenty Nonsense" – 9:31# "Stubborn Problems" – 9:32...
(1995, Tabu/MotownMotown RecordsMotown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
) - Shoki ShokiShoki ShokiShoki Shoki is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-November 1998.-Track listing:# "Truth don die" – 6:17# "Beng beng beng" – 4:43# "What will tomorrow bring" – 5:40# "Victim of life" – 6:14# "Blackman know yourself" – 5:15...
(1998, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA) - Fight to WinFight to WinFight to Win is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-October 2001.-Track listing:# "Do Your Best "# "Walk on the Right Side"# "Traitors of Africa"# "Tension Grip Nigeria"# "'97"# "Fight to Win Fight to Win is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-October...
(2001, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA/Wraase) - "Ala Jalkoum" (on the album Rachid Taha LiveRachid Taha LiveRachid Taha Live is a live album from French-Algerian raï artist Rachid Taha, released in 2001 by Barclay. It was produced and arranged by Steve Hillage, and recorded during a concert at L'Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, March 11, 2001.-Track listing:...
) (2001, Mondo Melodia) - Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2004, P-Vine)
- Live at the Shrine (Deluxe Edition DVD) + Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2005, Palm Pictures/Umvd)
- The Best of Femi Kuti (2004, Umvd/Wraase)
- Femi Kuti The Definitive Collection (2007, Wrasse RecordsWrasse RecordsWrasse Records is a British record label. It was started in 1998 by Ian and Jo Ashbridge. Both had been involved in the music industry prior to them starting up their own company. Its offices are based in the UK, but it distributes its CDs all around the world...
) - Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack (2008, IF99)
- Hope for the HopelessHope for the Hopeless (album)Hope for the Hopeless is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen. It was released on October 21, 2008 by Dualtone Music Group and Downtown Records, following Dennen's tour of Australia. Afro-Beat Nigerian musician Femi Kuti appears on the album's first single, "Make...
(2008) Collaboration with Brett Dennen - Day by DayDay by Day (Femi Kuti album)Day by Day is an album by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti released in mid-October 2008.-Track listing:All tracks by Femi Kuti# "Oyimbo" – 3:53# "Eh Oh" – 4:17# "Day by Day" – 3:01# "Demo Crazy" – 7:34# "Do You Know" – 4:52...
(2008, Wrasse RecordsWrasse RecordsWrasse Records is a British record label. It was started in 1998 by Ian and Jo Ashbridge. Both had been involved in the music industry prior to them starting up their own company. Its offices are based in the UK, but it distributes its CDs all around the world...
) - "Vampires" (on the album Radio RetaliationRadio RetaliationRadio Retaliation is the fifth studio album of electronica band Thievery Corporation. Planned to be a very political album, it was recorded in the band's hometown of Washington, D.C. A pre-release of the album was available on iTunes on September 9, featuring an exclusive track entitled...
by Thievery CorporationThievery CorporationThievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
) (2008, ESL Music) - Africa for Africa (2010, Wrasse RecordsWrasse RecordsWrasse Records is a British record label. It was started in 1998 by Ian and Jo Ashbridge. Both had been involved in the music industry prior to them starting up their own company. Its offices are based in the UK, but it distributes its CDs all around the world...
)
External links
- The Shrine Unofficial website for Fela Kuti and Afrobeat Music with news, bio's, tour dates, gig reviews, interviews, lyrics and forum.
- LA Weekly interview, Jul. 2007 by Matthew Fleischer
- Son of a Lion, interview on flyglobalmusic.com 2004
- Photos and Biography
- The AfroFunk Music Forum Daily news, music reviews and commentary on Afrobeat and related music
- MCA artist page
- VIDEO: Femi Kuti at Lincoln Center, July 2010 - Interview and Performance Footage
- theartsdesk Q&A: Femi Kuti (24 November 2010)