By Chris Nixon
Union-Tribune
July 19, 2007
From father to son, the legacy of Afrobeat music continues to inspire a new generation of Africans fighting for their rights. Like the meaning of his middle name, Anikulapo – “the one who holds death in his pouch” – Fela Kuti's musical and political vision lives beyond his time on Earth.
Fela's son walks in his father's footsteps. Like his dad, who died in 1997, Femi Kuti rails against oppressive and corrupt governments. He blows his sax sweet and hard, like an African Maceo Parker playing a form of music created by his father: Afrobeat.
Melding the joyous prolonged sounds of African high-life music with the down-dirty grit of James Brown and the Horny Horns, Fela Kuti created conscious, politically charged music. He ran for the Nigerian presidency. He seceded from Nigeria, designating his home “The Kalakuta Republic.” He married 28 women at once. He spent most days dressed in nothing but Speedos. Most importantly, he believed in music's power to change individuals and societies, boldly stating “Music is the weapon of the future.”
Details
Femi Kuti
When: Tonight, 8:30
Where: House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., downtown
Tickets: $22-$25Phone: (619) 299-2583
Online: www.hob.com
Femi Kuti has taken the mantle laid down by his father when he passed away from complications due to AIDS and moved Afrobeat into the modern era.
Ten years have passed since Fela's death. But according to Femi, life hasn't improved for the Nigerian people since Fela's time: “It's very difficult right now for the people (in Nigeria). The price of oil has been increased again, so it's very very difficult. We have to completely eradicate corruption in our society first of all. Since we have mineral resources, we should be providing free education and free health care for the people. The resources should go back to the people.
“Africa is supplying the world with the gold, diamonds, the oil, the cocoa, the palm oil, so many resources. Why can't we use our resources to provide for our people?”
Back in his day, Fela built a nightclub and compound called the Afrika Shrine, but the Kuti family lived in an uneasy and sometimes violent coexistence with the government. The police often raided the club and Fela was beaten severely on a number of occasions for his outspoken views against the government.
His wives were also beaten and sexually abused. His mother died from injuries sustained after authorities threw her from a window. Life was not easy for Fela and his family, but he continued to condemn corruption and poverty.
Since his father's death, Femi has rebuilt Fela's Afrika Shrine in the Nigerian capital of Lagos. Part music venue and part community center, the Shrine also serves as Femi's home when he's not on tour. He holds weekly jam sessions every Sunday called “Jumps,” where Nigerians gather and dance away their daily strife.
“The old Shrine was taken from us,” said the soft-spoken Femi, currently on tour in the U.S. “When we licensed my father's back catalog, my sister and I decided to buy land and build another in his honor. We thought it was the best thing to do with the money, instead of buying cars or using it for private use. He always wanted his own place, so we though it was the best thing to do. It was good for my band as well, to have a place of our own.”
Emerging from his father's shadow, Femi's music and message deserve to stand on their own. His two studio releases – “Shoki Shoki” in 1999 and 2001's “Fight to Win” – paint a picture of a man struggling with abject poverty and a corrupt government. In a combo titled “Live at the Shrine” released in 2005, Femi allowed cameras into his life, giving a tour of the Shrine along with combined footage from a series of electric live shows at the venue.
This year, Femi issued an excellent two-disc greatest hits compilation titled “Femi Kuti: The Definitive Collection,” which features guest spots by Mos Def, Common, D'Angelo and Macy Gray. Mixing traditional Afrobeat funk with electronic beats and a touch of hip-hop style, Femi's catalog represents the modern extension of his father's music.
Despite continued pressure from authorities to remain quiet, Femi's music uses his songs as a podium to raise consciousness of the struggle of everyday life in Africa.
“We're not going to back down on what we believe just because of threats,” said a defiant Femi. “I'm not going to leave because my father is dead. We're not going to back down, that's the tradition of my family. We're not leaving because of fear, no way.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
