HMV Magazine ranked him as #46 on a list of the 100 most influential musicians of the 20th century.
The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is essentially a fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, and traditional Yoruban chants and rhythms. It is characterized by having African-style percussion, vocals, and musical structure, along with jazzy, funky horn sections. The endless groove is also used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted guitar, and bass guitar are repeated throughout the song. His band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups using this instrument only use one. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip-hop. Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. Fela's songs were almost always over 10 minutes in length, some reaching the 20- or even 30-minute marks, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside of Africa. His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela's main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, guitar, and took the occasional drum solo. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa. Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the Underground Spiritual Game.
Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, to a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school Principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. His brothers, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti,both medical doctors, are both well known in Nigeria.
Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music that he would later call Afrobeat. The style was a fusion of American Jazz, psychedelic rock, and Funk with West African Highlife. In 1961, Fela married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, with whom he would have three children (Femi, Yeni, and Sola). In 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black power movement through Sandra Smith (now Isidore)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party—which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria ’70. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the US without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The '69 Los Angeles Sessions.
Fela and his band, renamed Africa '70, returned to Nigeria. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. In 1974 the police arrived with a search warrant and a cannabis joint, which they had intended to plant on Fela. He became wise to this and swallowed the joint. In response, the police took him into custody and waited to examine his feces. Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and gave the police someone else's feces, and Fela was freed. He then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit (now released together with "He Miss Road" as Expensive Shit/He Miss Road).
In 1977 Fela and the Afrika ’70 released the hit album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed if it were not for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Fela's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the main army barrack in Lagos and write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier," referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.
Fela and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978 Fela married 27 women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives. The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie," which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela was planning to use the entirety of the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.
Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called 'Movement of the People'. In 1979 he put himself forward for President in Nigeria's first elections for more than a decade but his candidature was refused. At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt 80 and continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed titled "I. T. T. (International Thief Thief)."
In 1984, he was again attacked by the Military government, who jailed him on a dubious charge of currency smuggling. His case was taken up by several human-rights groups, and after 20 months, he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida. On his release he divorced his 12 remaining wives, saying that "marriage brings jealousy and selfishness." Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt 80, made a number of successful tours of the United States and Europe and also continued to be politically active. In 1986, Fela performed in Giants Stadium in New Jersey as part of the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope concert, sharing the bill with Bono, Carlos Santana, and the Neville Brothers. In 1989, Fela & Egypt 80 released the anti-apartheid "Beasts of No Nation" album that depicts on its cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha with fangs dripping blood.
His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. The battle against military corruption in Nigeria was taking its toll, especially during the rise of dictator Sani Abacha. Rumors were also spreading that he was suffering from an illness for which he was refusing treatment. On 3 August 1997, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health, stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother's death a day earlier from Kaposi's sarcoma brought on by AIDS. (Their younger brother Beko was in jail at this time at the hand of Abacha for political activity). More than a million people attended Fela's funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound. A new Africa Shrine has opened since Fela's death in a different section of Lagos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti.
Viva Nigeria
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is one time I'd like to say few things
Men are born
Kings are made
Treaties are signed
Wars are fought
Every countries has its own problems
So has Nigeria
So has Africa
Let us bind our wounds
And live together with peace
Nigeria one nation indivisible
Long live Nigeria
Viva Africa!
The history of mankind
Is full of obvious turning points and significant events
Though tongues and tribes may differ
We are all Nigerians
We are are all Africans
Wars is not the answer
It has never been the answer
And it will never be the answer of fight amongst each other
Let's live toghether in peace
Nigeria one nation indivisible
Long live Nigeria
Viva Africa!
Let's eat together like we used to eat
Lets dance together like we used to dance
Sing together like we used to sing
Dance together like we used to dance
United we Stand
Divided we fall
You know what l mean
I hope you do
Let us bind our wounds
And live together in peace
Nigeia one nation indivisible
Long live Nigeria
Viva Africa!
Brothrs and sisters in Africa
Never should we learn to wage war against each other
Let Nigeria be a lesson to all
We have more to learn
Towards building than destroy
Our people can't afford any more sufferings
Let's join hands Africa We have nothing to lose but lot to gain
War is not the answer
War has never been the answer
And it would never be the answer
Fighting among each other
One nation indivisible
Long live Nigeria
Viva Africa!
The lyrics to Fela Kuti's song "Viva Nigeria" express a call for unity and peace amongst Nigerians and Africans. The song begins with Fela Kuti introducing himself and acknowledging that every country has its own problems, including Nigeria and Africa. He then calls for unity amongst Nigerians and Africans, stating that despite our differences, we are all Nigerians and Africans. Fela Kuti points out that wars are not the answer to our problems and that fighting amongst each other only leads to more suffering. He urges everyone to bind their wounds and live together in peace.
The lyrics also touch on the importance of cultural traditions and the need to celebrate them together. Fela Kuti encourages people to eat, dance, and sing together like they used to, emphasizing the importance of unity and togetherness. He also warns that if we do not come together, we will fall apart, highlighting the significance of maintaining our national and continental unity.
Overall, "Viva Nigeria" is a powerful message of hope that urges the people of Nigeria and Africa to embrace unity and peace amongst each other. It reminds us that we are all part of a bigger family and that only by working together can we achieve progress and prosperity.
Line by Line Meaning
This is brother Fela Ransome Kuti
Introducing the artist as Fela Ransome Kuti
This is one time I'd like to say few things
He wants to say some important things right now
Men are born
All men are created equal at birth
Kings are made
No one is entitled to power by birth; it must be earned
Treaties are signed
Agreements are made between countries
Wars are fought
Violent conflict arises to resolve disputes
Every country has its own problems
All nations face their own unique challenges
So has Nigeria
Nigeria is not exempt from this reality
So has Africa
The entire continent of Africa also faces issues
Let us bind our wounds
We should come together to heal our collective injuries
And live together with peace
Living in harmony is the solution to creating a better world
Nigeria one nation indivisible
Nigeria is a single, unified entity
Long live Nigeria
Wishing the nation a long, prosperous life
Viva Africa!
Celebrating the diverse and unique continent of Africa
The history of mankind
The story of humanity
Is full of obvious turning points and significant events
Important moments have shaped the course of human history
Though tongues and tribes may differ
Despite our differences in language and culture
We are all Nigerians
We are all citizens of Nigeria
We are are all Africans
We are all part of the African continent
Wars is not the answer
War is not a viable solution
It has never been the answer
Throughout history, war has proven to be destructive and ineffective
And it will never be the answer of fight amongst each other
Fighting with each other will never lead to a better world
Let's live together in peace
We should strive to coexist harmoniously
Let's eat together like we used to eat
We should share meals and enjoy each other's company
Let's dance together like we used to dance
We should celebrate life by dancing together
Sing together like we used to sing
Music can unite us and bring us joy
Dance together like we used to dance
Again, dancing together can lift our spirits and create bonds
United we Stand
When we come together, we are stronger
Divided we fall
If we remain divided, we will fail
You know what l mean
This concept is self-explanatory
I hope you do
Fela hopes that people can understand this message
Brothers and sisters in Africa
Addressing the people of the continent
Never should we learn to wage war against each other
We should never resort to fighting with one another
Let Nigeria be a lesson to all
Nigeria's struggles can teach us important truths
We have more to learn
There is still much we need to understand
Towards building than destroy
Our focus should be on creating, not destroying
Our people can't afford any more sufferings
Continued suffering is not an option
Let's join hands Africa We have nothing to lose but lot to gain
A call to unite Africa for the collective benefit
One nation indivisible
A reminder that we are all in this together
Long live Nigeria
Wishing the nation continued success
Viva Africa!
Celebrating and recognizing the importance of Africa
Writer(s): Kuti Fela Anikulapo, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Contributed by Molly V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@benjaminukposidolo5070
The tunes , the lyrics, the meaning are just the work of one and only music genius Olufela Anikulapo Kuti the legend
@moutinousoumanou5431
Proudly, Yoruba,
Proudly, Nigerian,
Proudly, African!
Forever living like a free man!
@olaniyanmichael640
I can not believe he played this music. Much baba fela.
@AureaProduccionesrafaelinfante
Siempre vivan los hombres libres!!! Greetings from Perú.
@ochivictor1688
Reminiscing The Nigerian Biafara War! Painful memory.
@louisotieno4712
Extremely painful
@TheYoungSuccess
Long Live Nigeria - VIVA AFRICA.
@boseadekunle7579
❤
@danieladeyemi7664
Felatuti viva 2021 stage performance
@ronkeayinke9188
fantastic.