Music is life and life is Music. In a world without music, it is certain life will be dark, bland and without colour.
The world has seen music of various kinds, and most importantly, the world has seen music artistes of various kind. We have seen singers, we have seen musicians and we have seen legends. Legends, who have made a mark and left the world with not just music, but something eternal, something with a life of its own that will live forever. The world has seen, heard and felt the greatest Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti can not be considered or be likened to just another music artiste. His role as a musician did not just begin and end with making music for entertainment, relaxation or the comfort of music lovers. The music legend carved a niche in music called the popular musical genre Afrobeat, which originated in the 1960s and 1970s as a blend of traditional Yoruba music with jazz, West African highlife and funk.
Fela Kuti’s music was inspired by the Black Panther movement, with lyrics that were infused with social and political critique, as well as Nigerian proverbs. These he employed to mock and criticize the military dictatorship in Nigeria at the time.
In line with the newly gained independence from colonial rule, which was happening across Africa, Fela encouraged his people to regain their self-reliance and self-pride.
Fela Kuti with his drummer, Tony Allen, experimented Afrobeat with different contemporary music of the time. The genre stemmed from Highlife which began in Ghana in the early 1920s. During that time, Ghanaian musicians incorporated foreign influences like the foxtrot and calypso with Ghanaian rhythms like osibisaba (Fante).
Yoruba percussion and vocal traditions were incorporated as well. Highlife was associated with the local African aristocracy during the colonial period and was played by numerous bands including the Jazz Kings, Cape Coast Sugar Babies, and Accra Orchestra along the country’s coast. This was the music Fela Kuti and Tony Allen played and listened to when they were young.
Afrobeat has profoundly influenced important contemporary producers and musicians who credit Fela Kuti as an essential influence. Also, the new generation of music artistes have created a world for Afrobeat lovers who judiciously fuel the tribe with Afrobeat music. One of such is the sensational Lavolta Stars band.
Hence we can say that the music legend has given to the world a genre that will live forever.
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