Femi Kuti | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kuti performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (1962-06-16)16 June 1962 (age 63)[1] London, England |
| Origin | Lagos,Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Genres | Afrobeat,jazz,Funk |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone, vocals, trumpet, keyboards |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | BMG[2] |
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962), popularly known asFemi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born inLondon and raised inLagos. He is the eldest son ofAfrobeat pioneerFela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner,women's rights activist andtraditional aristocratFunmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
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 legacy.
Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London toFela and Remilekun (Remi) Ransome-Kuti (née Taylor; 1941-2000), 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 atBaptist Academy andIgbobi College.[3]
Like his father, Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career.[4] Femi's grandmother,Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a political campaigner and women's rights activist.[5] Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence.[6]
He created his own band, Positive Force, in the late 1980s withDele 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 andChristian Mousset to perform at theFestival d'Angoulême (France), theNew Morning Club in Paris and theMoers Festival in Germany. In 2000, Kuti joined in a duet on the track "Ala Jalkoum" on theRachid Taha albumMade in Medina.
In 2001, Femi collaborated on his albumFight to Win with a number of US musicians, includingCommon,Mos Def, andJaguar Wright.[7]
Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song "Water No Get Enemy" toRed Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by theRed Hot Organization andMCA. Femi's track was created in collaboration with hip-hop and R&B artistsD'Angelo,Macy Gray,The Soultronics,Nile Rodgers andRoy 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 videogameGrand 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").[8]
In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry",[9] along with "What Will Tomorrow Bring" and "97".
Femi has been nominated for aGrammy Award four times in theworld music category in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013 but has never won.[10]
On 19 December 2014 a management deal betweenChocolate City Music Group and Femi Kuti was reached. The news was announced via theChocolate City Music official Instagram account, as well asAudu Maikori social media accounts.[11]
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 albumStop the Hate and Made's debut albumFor(e)ward.[12]
Femi, the son ofAfrobeat singer and political activistFela 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.[13]
Femi Kuti's albumAfrica 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" featuringTuface Idiibia andSound Sultan through his management company,Chocolate City.
Kuti's song "Make We Remember" calls on people to remember the words of his father and "greatblack 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.
On 22 November 2014, Kuti performed at the BMO event, where he shared the same stage with his new label mateM.I (Jude Abaga).[14]
On 24 April 2015, he performed in the 2 Kings concert alongside his brotherSeun Kuti. The concert is significant as it is the first concert that the brothers have performed together.[15]
On 15 May 2017, Kuti was referred to in theGuinness World Records under the catalog of a single note held on a sax in a method calledcircular breathing. He set the records at 51 min 35 seconds.[16]
As of 2022, Kuti has been nominated for sixGrammy Awards in multiple categories. He was nominated four times (in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013) in theBest World Music Album category.[20] For the2022 Grammy Awards, Femi and his son Made were nominated forBest Global Music Album and Femi was nominated forBest Global Music Performance.[21]
On October 20, 2022, Kuti was awarded as aChevalier des arts et des lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by theFrench Ministry of Culture in Paris.
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| Year | Title | Album | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "The World Is Changing" | No Place for my Dreams | N/a | [22] |
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