Femi Kuti

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962), popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's rights activist and traditional aristocrat Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.

Femi Kuti
Kuti performing on 10 November 2008
Photo: Carlos Fernández San Millán
Background information
Birth nameOlufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti
Born (1962-06-16) 16 June 1962[1]
London, England
OriginLagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
GenresAfrobeat, Jazz
Occupation(s)singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentsSaxophone, Vocals, Trumpet, Keyboard
Years active1978–present
Associated actsEgypt 80, Positive Force, Made Kuti, Wizkid, Common, Mos Def
Websitewww.femikuti.com
Performance at Warszawa Cross Culture Festival – 25 September 2011

Femi Kuti began his musical career playing in his father's band, Egypt 80. In 1986, Femi started his own band, Positive Force, establishing himself as an artist independent of his father's massive legacy.

Biography

Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London to Fela and Remilekun (Remi) Ransome-Kuti (née Taylor; 1961–1985), and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, however, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi started playing the saxophone at the age of 15 and eventually became a member of his father's band.[1] He studied at Baptist Academy and Igbobi College.

Like his father, Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career.[2] Femi's grandmother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a political campaigner and women's rights activist.[3] Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence.[4]

He created his own band, Positive Force, in the late 1980s with Dele Sosimi (Gbedu Resurrection), former keyboard 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 the Festival d'Angoulême (France), the New Morning Club in Paris and the Moers Festival in Germany.

In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of US musicians, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright.[5]

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. Femi's 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").[6]

In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry",[7] along with "What Will Tomorrow Bring" and "97".

Femi has been nominated for a Grammy award four times in the world music category in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013 but has never won.[8]

On 19 December 2014 a management deal between Chocolate City Music Group and Femi Kuti was reached. The news was announced via the Chocolate City Music official Instagram account, as well as Audu Maikori social media accounts.[9]

On 5 February 2021, Femi Kuti and his son, Made Kuti, released their two-album project, Legacy+ under Partisan Records. The project includes Femi's eleventh album Stop the Hate and Made's debut album For(e)ward.[10]

Activism

Femi, the son of Afrobeat singer and political activist Fela Kuti, inherited his father's zeal for both music and activism. He started playing the saxophone and keyboard with his father's band when he was 16 and stepped into the spotlight, writing and singing after his father's demise. Femi remains politically inclined grooving to high energy funk, jazz and traditional African-fueled songs about political corruption, poverty and primitive living conditions suffered by most inhabitants in Nigeria's oil-rich nation.[11]

Femi Kuti's album Africa for Africa emphasized "Bad Government" as a problem in Africa. Before the 2011 elections in Nigeria, he reached out to the people that there was "no difference between the three candidates contesting for the presidential seat in Nigeria". He added, "we could say we're moving in the democratic process. And it's probably better than going to war, but corruption is still very rampant. The people are hungry and sick. And the government controls the media, so it can't be critical".

Kuti also said: "It's a very hypocritical situation. People settle for putting a meal on the table, but they don't know that the rest of the world doesn't suffer every day from power outages and water shortage. Nigerians don't even know about the history of African slavery, because it's not included in the text books." He echoed the same sentiments in the 2015 elections by releasing a remix to the song "Politics Na Big Business" featuring Tuface Idiibia and Sound Sultan through his management company, Chocolate City.

Kuti's song "Make We Remember" calls on people to remember the words of his father and "great black people", who fought for the emancipation of Africa. For a very long time, Femi has been using music to inspire, change and motivate African people.

Live performances

On 22 November 2014, Femi Kuti performed at the BMO event, where he shared the same stage with his new label mate M.I (Jude Abaga).[12]

Kuti performing in London

On 24 April 2015, he performed in the 2 Kings concert alongside his brother Seun Kuti. The concert is significant as it is the first concert that the brothers have performed together.[13]

On 15 May 2017 Femi Anikulapo Kuti was referred to in the Guinness world records under the catalog of a single note held on a sax in a method called circular breathing. He set the records at 51 min 35 seconds.[14]

Albums

Live albums
  • Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2004, P-Vine)
  • Live at the Shrine (Deluxe Edition DVD) + Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2005, Palm Pictures/Umvd)

Tours
  • Le Cabaret Suavage Black Summer Festival, Paris (Afrobeat concert, 2015)
  • Garforth Festival Garforth, Leeds (2015)
  • The Lantern Bristol, UK 2015
  • Band on the Wall Manchester, UK, 2015
  • Latitude Festival Suffolk UK, 2015
  • Larmer Tree Festival Salisbury UK 2015
  • Walthamstow Garden Party, London, Lloyd Park 2015[15]

Collections
  • The Best of Femi Kuti (2004, Umvd/Wrasse)
  • Femi Kuti The Definitive Collection (2007, Wrasse Records)

Appearances

Compilations

Other

Awards and honors

Femi has been nominated four times (in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013) for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music Album category.[17]

Videography
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Year Title Album Director Ref
2013 The World Is Changing No Place for my Dreams N/A [18]

See also

References
  1. "My Gist". www.femikuti.com. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  2. "Femi Kuti: Blending Afrobeat And Politics". CNN. 11 November 2009.
  3. "One People One World: Femi Kuti's life in music and activism". Al Jazeera. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  4. Gardner, John. "Femi Kuti: Afrobeat Legend And Concerned Citizen Of The World". The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  5. "Fight To Win". Wrasse Records. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. "Femi Kuti Builds on His Father's Legacy". CNN. 11 May 2011.
  7. Okechukwu Jones Asuzu (2006). The Politics of Being Nigerian. Lulu.com. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-4116-1956-2.
  8. "Breaking news: Femi Kuti Loses Grammy Prize". Nigerian Entertainment Today. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  9. "Femi Kuti Biography". AFROBIOS. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  10. Kalia, Ammar (5 February 2021). "Femi Kuti and Made Kuti: Legacy+ review – Afrobeat's first family look forward". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  11. "The Shrine: Femi bio". www.afrobeatmusic.net. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  12. "News and Entertainment – Latest Updates in Nigeria". pulse.ng. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  13. "'2Kings Concert': Femi & Seun Kuti To Perform Together For First Time". Sahara Reporters. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  14. Tosin Akinbami, "Femi Kuti Finally Set a New World Record of 51 minutes 35 seconds at age 55", 745ng.com, 15 May 2017.
  15. "Femi Kuti Official Website". Femi Kuti Official Website. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  16. "Finding Fela – a Film by Alex Gibney, official website & trailer". Finding Fela. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  17. "Artist: Femi Kuti". www.grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  18. "New Video – The World Is Changing By Femi Kuti". Pulse Nigeria. Pulse Mix. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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