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The
multi-talented and highly energetic Femi Kuti was born in London
in 1962, the eldest son of Fela. The family moved back to Lagos
in 1963.
To
start with Femi was a saxophonist in his father's afrobeat bands
having left school in 1978. Femi came to international attention
on an occcasion in 1985 when he was to play in Fela's band at
the Hollywood Bowl but Fela himself was arrested at Lagos airport.
The rest of the band travelled and Femi took the lead to great
acclaim. In 1986 he formed his own band The Positive Force in
which he plays sax and lead vocals. Their sound is basically
afrobeat spiced up with funk, jazz and hiphop. Femi and his
powerful band have been on many international tours, the latest
of which coincided with a major Fela Kuti festival in London
in October 2004. To hear a 13-minute interview with Femi recorded
at that time click here:
Albums recorded by Femi Kuti and The Positive Force to date
are Shoki Shoki (1999), Fight to Win (2001)
and Africa Shrine (2004). On Fight to Win guest
vocalists include renowned rappers Mos Def and Common. The latest
is a CD and DVD with tracks live from the new venue Africa Shrine
in Lagos which Femi set up and peforms at regularly. It includes
Femi's version of 'Water no get Enemy'. Femi has decided that
it's vital to continue the fight and remain in Lagos rather
than settle in any other country. Africa Shrine is described
as a musical temple and was inaugurated in 2000.
Issues covered in Femi's highly accessible and somewhat explicit
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lyrics
set to infectious rhythms include
encouragement, justice, his father's legacy, African and Nigerian
politics, the problem of
AIDS, and in one song entitled '97 he relates the tragic events
in his life in the year 1997 - that was the year both his father
and his sister Sola died.
A number of older members of Femi's family were also intrepid
and internationally known, for example
his grandmother was the
first African woman to visit Russia and China and won women's
right to vote, one uncle started a political movement, and another
was deputy president of the WHO. As the Yoruba proverb
goes, the cub of a tiger will grow up a tiger!
Only by watching the Africa Shrine DVD can you get
an impression of the impact that Femi's music and message makes
on a Nigerian audience. Another film, Suffering and Smiling
(2006), is about the messages in Fela's and Femi's music.
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Femi
Kuti