After his legendary, incendiary father passed away in 1997, Nigerian saxophonist and bandleader Femi Kuti inherited both the legacy of his Afrobeat music, and the cause of his protests.
The task before him was “to become greater than my father” as he put it was multifold. First, to carry on the Afrobeat tradition Fela Kuti created; a synthesis of traditional African rhythms and American soul and jazz. Also, to wed that music to the protest that made Afrobeat a voice for millions of Nigerians, and other Africans, challenging corruption and the repression. Femi Kuti’s music is proof that celebration and political consciousness can rev the masses, and the connosieur of complex, intricate rhythms.
He’s currently touring America with his 15 piece band Positive Force. From Lagos, and into legacy, musician and heir to the Afrobeat throne, Femi Kuti.
(Hosted by Jacki Lyden)
Guests:
Femi Kuti, musician