Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti was a Nigerian bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan -Africanist. He was born in1938. His mother was the Nigerian women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. As a young man he learned to play the piano and percussion before studying classical music and focusing on the trumpet, at Trinity College London in 1959.
While in London, Fela experimented with musical styles including jazz and rock. He formed his first group, Fela Ransome-Kuti and His Highlife Rakers. The band recorded four sides for Melodisc, one of Britain’s first independent African and Caribbean music labels. In 1960 Fela disbanded the group, forming Koola Lobitos which played a fusion of jazz and highlife music. In 1963, Kuti moved back to the newly independent Federation of Nigeria.
Fela called his blend of music Afrobeat. His music has clearly influenced today’s Afrobeats genre of music, though the two are distinct. Afrobeats is the contemporary term for West African popular music. The genre is enjoying huge success influencing youth culture globally. In 2020 Fela was honoured with a commemorative plaque in London by the Black Plaque Project.
Refs: Fela Kuti – Wikipedia
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