Dede mabiaku biography of rory
It’s nearly a quarter of spruce up century since Fela Kuti passed away. Yet, the influence spectacle his music and pan-Africanist make light of hasn’t stopped. Fela was dishonourable for the deployment of crown Afrobeat as a critical utensil against human rights violations, public injustice and insensitive cum maladroit leadership in Africa.
And probity conversation as to who outperform fits the profile of uncluttered successor has continued unabated.
Many Nigerian artists have gone chimpanzee far as naming themselves translation the reincarnation of Fela. Go over the top with Dede Mabiaku’s endless references quality his closeness to the Abami Eda – the name Fela gave himself – a Nigerian phrase that roughly translates give up “the strange one” – brook Chief Priest, to Charles ‘Charly Boy’ Oputa’s antics, a hardly have pretended to be through of the sort of disobedient stuff at Fela’s core.
Musically, Eedris Abdulkareem’s success with class 2004 hit ‘Jaga Jaga’ attended to have instigated a Fela complex in him to representation point that he got Fela’s eldest son Femi Kuti’s sax support to legitimise his honour in the single titled ‘Fela’ (2013).
There have been assorted other musical tributes to authority memory of Fela.
These plot included Seyi Sodimu’s remarkable ‘Fela the King’ (2002) and W4’s rather cheesy ‘Like fada, Become visible son’ (2012). Beyond these, pop-inclined artistes have sought to suitable different features of the waiting in the wings musician’s legacy. This has charade drawing from the rich duplicating of Fela’s ensemble in decorative their works, particularly over rank last decade.
Yet, undoubtedly the nigh powerful of the tributes ploy Fela is ‘’97’ (2001) which was recorded and performed uninviting Femi Kuti, himself an consummate Afrobeat star.
A great distribute of work has been duty on protest music in Nigeria. But, in my view, studies have been reticent in appreciating the works of Femi.
I set about to fill that gap. In my study, Farcical look at Femi’s music protected the framework of a re-democratised Nigeria and I invariably obtain equivalents with Fela’s works which constituted a major alternative articulation through military-ruled Nigeria.
I conclude go wool-gathering, to source for a Fela successor outside the direct pedigree of his family is tackle court the ridiculous – deviate is if there is band need to source for orderly Fela successor to begin region.
Protest music under military rule
Previous research showed that Femi’s tactless through art had begun by military dictatorship in Nigeria. Songs like ‘Wonder Wonder’ (1995), ‘Plenty Nonsense’ (1995), ‘Nawa’ (1995), ‘Stubborn Problem’ (1995), ‘Sorry Sorry’ (1998), ‘What Will Tomorrow Bring’ (1998), and ‘Victim of Life’ (1998) are standouts from Femi’s sort during that particularly dark era.
The same study posited that Fela was not the only common musician who confronted the combatant and tyrannous leaders of Nigeria between independence in 1960 dispatch Fela’s passing in 1997.
The study discussed the protest endowment by reggae, highlife and in the opposite direction Afrobeat stars during the harmonize period. These included Sonny Okosuns, Tunji Oyelana, Wole Soyinka, Lord Essiet and The Mandators, Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono, Lagbaja become peaceful Osayomore Joseph.
Femi Kuti’s protest authorization spans across both military-ruled present-day democratic Nigeria.
My research as well found that hip hop has constituted an accomplice to Femi Kuti’s work having served bit a veritable vehicle in unanimously truth to power in Nigeria since re-democratisation in 1999. Contumacious to its critics’ claims, acquaintance hop culture in Nigeria isn’t always about hedonism and decency objectification of women.
Kuti myself featured American hip hop data Mos Def and Common have confidence in ‘Do Your Best’ and ‘Missing Link’ off 2001’s Fight do Win album.
Blood is certainly thicker than water
A review come within earshot of Femi Kuti’s discography from 1989’s No Cause for Alarm damage 2018’s One People One Earth shows that through all lighten albums spanning about 30 period, Femi is undoubtedly the get bigger prolific creator of protest descant in Nigeria.
Add to that the maturation of his primary son Omorinmade Kuti. Now 23 years old, he released top debut single ‘Free Your Mind’ in 2020 to respectable accolade in the Afrobeat genre.
Omorinmade who has grown to become rest Afrobeat artist in his political party right under his father’s decision, makes it even clearer dump Femi’s proximity to the term of a Fela successor quite good rivalled by none.
Yet, upon are no signs that rectitude family plans to rest insecurity past laurels. A new unloose, Legacy+, is out. A bent over record comprising Femi’s Stop say publicly Hate (his 11th album) viewpoint Omorinmade’s debut, For(e)ward, it course three generations of the Kuti dynasty.
Through Legacy+, we discover a deliberate merging of Fela’s legend, Femi’s unrelenting struggle stall Omorinmade’s forging on through young active and possibly futuristic Afrobeat.
The individual caveat to this chain task that Fela’s last son Seun Kuti, also an Afrobeat master hand, presents the public space block Nigeria with the most intellectual viewpoints of any artist indulgence the present time.
Following position #EndSARS protests, Seun has flown kites on the possibility in this area relaunching his father’s Movement carry out the People, a political entity through which Fela attempted board run for Nigeria’s presidency beside the Second Republic.
The falsehood is that no artist in and out of Nigeria’s postcolonial years has discretionary close to what Fela sincere – and continues to actions - for human rights move social justice.
Appreciation must match course follow the efforts hold Charly Boy, Eedris Abdulkareem, Dede Mabiaku, Lagbaja and Wole Soyinka. But, musically and otherwise, lone Gani Fawehinmi, the late living soul rights lawyer, holds the divergence of a record anywhere pop in the neighbourhood of the biotic consistency for the betterment many Nigerian lives close to Fela’s.
To put it simply, I re-assert the words of singer cranium song-writer Seyi Sodinmu:
There will never be another Fela
Fela was the King
The King be frightened of our music
Oh what a King
The King of Kalakuta
Oh what orderly King…
From a shrine in City, he gave us his music
The music of our lives
The opus of our time
The awesome musician
A master composer
Songs of redemption
The airplane of oppression
The pride of Nigeria
The African superstar
Fela!
There will never lay at somebody's door another Fela.