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 Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

and a grandchild of political campaigner,

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and traditional aristocrat Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Femi Kuti began his musical career playing in his father's band,

Egypt 80 Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

. In 1986, Femi started his own band, Positive Force, establishing himself as an artist independent of his father's legacy.

Biography

Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London to Fela 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. He studied at

Baptist Academy Lagos Baptist Academy is a secondary school located in Obanikoro, Lagos, Nigeria. The school was established in 1855 by the American Baptist Missionaries. The school is regarded as a sister school to Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls' Secondary Schoo ...

and

Igbobi College Igbobi College is a college established by the Methodist and Anglican Churches in 1932, in the Yaba suburb of Lagos, Lagos State, South-western Nigeria. It is still on its original site and most of the original buildings are intact. It is one ...

. Like his father, Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career. Femi's grandmother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a political campaigner and women's rights activist. Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence. He created his own band, Positive Force, in the late 1980s with

Dele Sosimi Bamidele Olatunbosun Sosimi (born 22 February 1963) known as Dele Sosimi, is a Nigerian-British musician. Biography Sosimi was born in Hackney, London, England. His career began when he joined Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's Egypt 80 (1979–86). Sosimi ...

(

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 T ...

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 Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

to perform at the

Festival d'Angoulême A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

(France), the New Morning Club in Paris and the Moers Festival in Germany. In 2000, Kuti joined in a duet on the track "Ala Jalkoum" on the Rachid Taha album ''

Made in Medina ''Made in Medina'' is a studio album by French-Algerian raï artist Rachid Taha. It was released in 2000 by Barclay Records and produced and arranged by Steve Hillage. Five of the songs were subsequently featured in Taha's live album. A video c ...

''. In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album ''Fight to Win'' with a number of US musicians, including

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright. Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song "Water No Get Enemy" to ''

Red Hot & Riot ''Red Hot + Riot'' (a.k.a. ''Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti'') is the fourteenth in a series of music compilation projects produced by Paul Heck and John Carlin of the Red Hot Organization and Grammy-winning music producer An ...

'', a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 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 compilati ...

and

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...

. Femi's track was created in collaboration with hip-hop and R&B artists

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

, Macy Gray, The Soultronics,

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

and

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

, 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"). In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry", 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. On 19 December 2014 a management deal between

Chocolate City Music Chocolate City is a Nigerian record label founded in 2005 by lawyer Audu Maikori along with Paul Okeugo and Yahaya Maikori. Generally regarded the biggest and most successful indigenous urban record labels in Africa, Chocolate City Music opera ...

Group and Femi Kuti was reached. The news was announced via the

official Instagram account, as well as

Audu Maikori Audu Maikori (born 13 August 1975 in Kaduna) is a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, social activist, public speaker and creative industry expert. He is the co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman of the Chocolate City Group the mother company of le ...

social media accounts. 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''.

Activism

Femi, the son of Afrobeat singer and political activist

, 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. 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 Sound Sultan (born Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi; November 27, 1976 – July 11, 2021) was a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian, and recording artist. He was regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Niger ...

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 Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

", 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). Femi Kuti 2

On 24 April 2015, he performed in the 2 Kings concert alongside his brother

Seun Kuti Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti (born 11 January 1983), who is called by the name Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of the famous Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80. Biography The y ...

. The concert is significant as it is the first concert that the brothers have performed together. 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.

Discography

Albums

*''No Cause for Alarm?'' (1989, Polygram) *''M.Y.O.B'' (1991, Kalakuta Records) *'' Femi Kuti'' (1995, Tabu/

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

) *''

Shoki Shoki ''Shoki Shoki'' is an album by the Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, released in 1998. The album was released in the United States by MCA Records in 2000. A remix album, ''Shoki Remixed'', was released the same year. Nigeria's military government b ...

'' (1998, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA) *''

Fight to Win Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

'' (2001, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA/Wraase) *'' Day by Day'' (2008, Wrasse Records) *'' Africa for Africa'' (2010 /2011, Wrasse Records/ Knitting Factory Records) *'' No Place for My Dream'' (2013, Knitting Factory Records) *''One People One World'' (2018, Knitting Factory Records) *'' Stop the Hate'' (2021, Partisan Records)

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

Collections

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

Appearances

*"Vampires" (on the album '' Radio Retaliation'' by Thievery Corporation) (2008,

ESL Music Eighteenth Street Lounge Music (ESL Music) is an independent record label based in Washington, D.C. founded by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton in 1996 in music, 1996. The duo, as Thievery Corporation, heads the label's roster of artists. Roster ESL Musi ...

) *''

Hope for the Hopeless ''Hope for the Hopeless'' is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen. It was released on October 21, 2008, following Dennen's tour of Australia. The Nigerian Afro-beat musician Femi Kuti appears on the album's first si ...

'' (2008) collaboration with Brett Dennen *''

Finding Fela ''Finding Fela'' is a 2014 documentary film by Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, portraying and analysing the life of pioneering musician Fela Kuti. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014. Synops ...

'' (2014) a documentary film directed by

Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time". Gibney's works as director include '' ...

*" Arabesque" (on the album ''

Everyday Life Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or normal. Human diurnality means most peop ...

'' by Coldplay) (2019)

Compilations

*'' Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack'' (2008, IF99)

Other

*''No Cause For Alarm?'' (1989,

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

) *''M.Y.O.B.'' (1991, Meodie) *"Ala Jalkoum" (on the album ''

Rachid Taha Live ''Rachid 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. ...

'') (2001, Mondo Melodia)

Awards and honours

As of 2022, Kuti has been nominated for six Grammy Awards in multiple categories. He was nominated four times (in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013) in the

Best World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

category. For the

2022 Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...

, Femi and his son Made were nominated for

Best Global Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

and Femi was nominated for

Best Global Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. H ...

. On October 20, 2022, Kuti was awarded as a Chevalier des arts et des lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Ministry of Culture in Paris.

Videography

References

External links

* *
Femi Kuti
''Day by Day'' documentary by Thomas Bataille, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuti, Femi 1962 births Living people Musicians from London Nigerian jazz musicians Nigerian saxophonists Wrasse Records artists World music musicians Yoruba musicians Ransome-Kuti family 20th-century Nigerian musicians 21st-century Nigerian musicians The Headies winners British emigrants to Nigeria English people of Yoruba descent 20th-century saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists Musicians from Lagos Culture of the African diaspora Knitting Factory Records artists