Since then, he has led Egypt 80 as lead vocalist and saxophonist, the focal point of a band that his father had forged into one of Africa’s most legendary ensembles. While Seun is the front man, a star in his own right who is routinely recognized by fans on the streets of Lagos, in many ways Egypt 80 is still his father’s band. In performance, Seun comes across as a perfect stand-in for his famous Father but also stays very personal. His singing voice is deep like Fela’s, and his alto saxophone hits the lines and hooks his father composed with the same muscular style, although he tries to bring his own flavor to the obligatory solos on saxophone and synthesizer. And like Fela, on stage Seun lives up to a reputation as a sex symbol, shimmying, winding his hips and often discarding his shirt, to the delight of lady fans.
Fela’s Afrobeat was a pungent blend of funk and jazz with an African sensibility, reminiscent of James Brown but grittier, nastier and vaguely unsettling, like fermenting fruit. With Seun, Egypt 80 is as explosive as they were under Fela, combining horns, keyboards, percussion, guitars and vocals in a sophisticated and overpowering blend that is always insistent. In the 70s the band performed almost nightly at The Shrine, a club Fela established, but these days they rehearse once a week and play three or four times a month at various venues around Lagos, sometimes in huge stadiums alongside other artists. The band also tours regularly in Europe, they already hit France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK, Belgium, but also South Africa, Ghana…
Seun was literally born to do this, and seems unconcerned by the constant comparisons to his father. For Seun, taking up where his father left off is about building on Fela’s legacy, not trying to escape it. He wrote a song on Malaria disease for a festival in Dakar where he jammed with Manu Dibango and Tony Allen for the BBC film « Africa Live : the RollBack Malaria concert» sponsored by the UN fundation that has been bradcasted around the whole world.
"If I’m in my father’s shadow then it doesn’t trouble me to be," he says. "If that’s all I can get, it’s a very good place to be. He was a very great man." He pauses. "But of course every artist wants to define themselves." Seun says he and his father were close, and Fela’s death at the age of 58 hit the teenager hard. Fela had other children by other women, but took a special interest in Seun, who is one of only two sons to follow their father into a career in music. But having inherited the leadership of Fela’s band, Seun can be more selective about what else he chooses to take from the example of Fela’s life. In artistic terms he is also determined to chart his own course. Seun has just finished to record two original tracks, « Think Africa » and Fire Dance » to be soon released in Vynil 12 inches and on I Tunes in order to innovate his own style. Seun also wants to update his father’s political message.
He heartily endorses Fela’s politics ("He wasn’t afraid," Seun says proudly) and relishes the fact that many of the songs he performs pillory by name Nigeria’s current president, Olusegun Obasanjo (who was also head of state in the mid-1970s when Fela recorded some of his most biting broadsides, including a track blaming Obasanjo for his mother’s death in an infamous army raid on Fela’s Kalakuta compound). But right now Seun seems unlikely to form a political party, as his father did in the late 70s. And Seun hopes to offer his listeners a slightly different message from his father’s. "I want to make Afrobeat for my generation. Instead of ‘get up and fight,’ it’s going to be ‘get up and think,’" he says. Seun once said "I have to play my father’s songs until I’m ready." With an album of his own creations in the works, presumably he’s finally set to stake his own musical claim instead of trading on his father’s name. In so doing, perhaps he can muster the kind of iconic voice and presence that made Fela one of his generation’s most politically influential cultural artists. It’s already clear that Seun’s name and music resonate with a new generation of Nigerians, many of whom are too young to remember his father’s heyday. No, it can’t be easy to be a leader to the teeming, aggressive and often undisciplined legions of Nigeria’s youth. But maybe Seun Kuti is one man for the job. Seun Kuti just like his father, the late Fela Kuti , represents a minority of thinkers. Those who choose to question the ruling bodies, those who strive for quality of life and those who are not afraid to shine a light on the corruption that sprawls behind closed government doors. He represents a generation who act upon these thoughts and voice the truth. He does so without weapons, brutality and political agendas. He does so through music. And that music is Afrobeat. A fusion of big band jazz, funk, and traditional African sounds. Fela left behind two things he treasured most. Afrobeat: the musical style he pioneered and his band, Egypt 80. Seun chose to continue the legacy of his father by taking on the band, in partnership with its longstanding bandleader, Baba Ani. With Seun deemed lead singer, the band is a twenty-piece power house. Much of the magic of their live shows derives from the energetic exchange between musicians and dancers. It is hard to imagine that the leader, able to emulate his father’s songs and style with such grace, is a mere 24 years old and his sister, Motunrayo Kuti, still one of the most vibrant dancers on stage. Bearing his Dad’s looks, Seun is a great saxophonist, an activist and groovewriter. He promises a serious funk mix of new album material and Fela classics which won’t let you stand still. The band is a power-house of explosive dance grooves, the hookiest basslines, big spectacle and politicised energy. Much of the magic of their live shows derives from the energetic exchange between at least 18 musicians and dancers. It's a full-on, funk-happy sound that'll take you to the edge and back...
http://www.myspace.com/seunkuti
Many Things
Seun Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don see many things (Many things)
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
As time dey go (As time dey go)
Things dey spoil more and more (As time dey go)
As time dey go (As time dey go)
No food to eat (As time dey go)
No light to see (As time dey go)
No water to drink (As time dey go)
Nowhere to stay (As time dey go)
I don hear many things (Many things)
I don see many things (Many things)
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
When I see the way my people dey live, under bridge and on top of water
When I hear the nonsense things, nonsense things our leaders dey do
When I see the oga of police in prison for stealing
When I hear education minister in scandal for stealing
When I see our senators, throw chair pull agbada
When I see our senators, throwing chairs just to share money
Dem go share the billions, wey dem suppose take feed the people
Dem go share the billions, wey dem suppose take help the people
I don hear many things (Many things)
I don see many things (Many things)
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
When you turn television, and you listen to the radio
When you turn television, and you listen to the radio
You go see the things them do, you go hear the things them say
You go see the things them do, you go hear the things them say
You go see the corruption (Lo ri si ri si)
You go see the inflation (Lo ri si ri si)
You go see the suffering (Lo ri si ri si)
Suffering of the people (Lo ri si ri si)
Ahh, lo ri si ri si (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, stealing (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, killing (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, shooting (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, movement (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, government (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, party (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, system (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, cheating (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, killing (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, shooting (Lo ri si ri si)
Ori si ri si, government (Lo ri si ri si)
I don hear many things (Many things)
I don see many things (Many things)
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
The lyrics to Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80's song "Many Things" highlight the multitude of issues that plague society. The singer talks about hearing and seeing many things that leave him feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. The lyrics specifically address corruption, poverty, and inequality, and express frustration at the actions of leaders and politicians. The song also comments on the extensive suffering of common people.
As time goes by, the situation appears to be getting worse rather than improving. The singer highlights the increasing rate of children dying, lack of basic resources such as food, water, and electricity, and the displacement of people due to a lack of shelter. The chorus of the song reiterates the singer's frustration at the situation and how it has exhausted him mentally.
The song also highlights the role of media in exposing corruption and unethical behavior of leaders. The singer encourages listeners to turn on the television and listen to the radio to learn about the issues faced by society, namely corruption, inflation, and poverty. However, the lyrics also suggest a sense of hopelessness towards the situation, with the same issues repeating themselves over and over, and leaders seemingly uninterested in creating change.
Line by Line Meaning
I don hear many things (Many things)
I have heard multiple things about the state of affairs
I don see many things (Many things)
I have seen numerous things happening around me
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
All these things make me contemplate various issues
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
These things exhaust and wear me out more than anything else
As time dey go (As time dey go)
As time goes by,
Things dey spoil more and more (As time dey go)
The situation worsens every day
Children dey die more and more (As time dey go)
The number of children dying increases as time progresses
No food to eat (As time dey go)
There is a lack of food to eat
No light to see (As time dey go)
There is no electricity to see with
No water to drink (As time dey go)
There is no clean water to drink
Nowhere to stay (As time dey go)
Homelessness is becoming an impending issue
When I see the way my people dey live, under bridge and on top of water
When I see my people living under bridges and on water
When I hear the nonsense things, nonsense things our leaders dey do
When I hear about the absurd things that our leaders do
When I see the oga of police in prison for stealing
When I see the head of the police force in jail for stealing
When I hear education minister in scandal for stealing
When I hear of an education minister caught in a scandal for stealing
When I see our senators, throw chair pull agbada
When I see our senators fighting and tearing clothing
Dem go share the billions, wey dem suppose take feed the people
They will share the billions that would have gone towards feeding the people
Dem go share the billions, wey dem suppose take help the people
They will share the billions that could have helped the people
When you turn television, and you listen to the radio
When you watch TV or listen to the radio
You go see the things them do, you go hear the things them say
You will witness what they do and hear what they say
You go see the corruption (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see the widespread corruption
You go see the inflation (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see the rising inflation
You go see the suffering (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see the vast suffering
Suffering of the people (Lo ri si ri si)
The suffering of the people is prominently visible
Ahh, lo ri si ri si (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see all kinds of ills
Ori si ri si, stealing (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see stealing everywhere
Ori si ri si, killing (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see many people dying
Ori si ri si, shooting (Lo ri si ri si)
You will see frequent shootings
Ori si ri si, movement (Lo ri si ri si)
Movement, even for daily activities, has become difficult
Ori si ri si, government (Lo ri si ri si)
Our government is responsible for all the issues we face
Ori si ri si, party (Lo ri si ri si)
Even political parties are corrupt
Ori si ri si, system (Lo ri si ri si)
The system itself is corrupt
Ori si ri si, cheating (Lo ri si ri si)
Cheating is commonplace
I don hear many things (Many things)
I have heard multiple things about the state of affairs
I don see many things (Many things)
I have seen numerous things happening around me
Wey make me think many things (Many things)
All these things make me contemplate various issues
Wey tire me pass anything (Many things)
These things exhaust and wear me out more than anything else
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, LILI LOUISE MUSIQUE
Written by: KUTI OLUWASEUN ANIKULAPO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind