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
Mosquito Song
Seun Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E get one think wey we don dey live with (We Africans)
Na small matter but na big matter too (We Africans)
This matter don happen to you and me (We Africans)
This matter don happen to you and me (We Africans)
Na wetin be this matter sef
Na wetin be this matter sef
E bite me I sick for body
E bite me for hand (Mosquitto dey)
E bite me for leg (Mosquitto dey)
E bite me for ear (Mosquitto dey)
Even bite me for mouth (Mosquito dey)
E bite me for nose (Mosquito dey)
E bite me for yansh (Mosquito dey)
Event bit me blo cos (Mosquito dey)
Ha ra ra ra
Tell me now now now now
Tell me now now now now now now
We don tire to dey sick
We don tire to dey die
Every day of every weel
E dey happen for your eye
Na the government of the people
No put clean water for the people
Na the government of the people
No take good care of the people
So I say make una hear
Shey na till we die finish una go (Stop the malaria)
Till we die finish una go (Stop the corruption)
Shey na till we die finish una go (Stop the malaria)
Till we die finish una go (Stop the corruption)
The lyrics of Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80's song Mosquito Song are a commentary on the issue of malaria, which is prevalent in Africa due to poor living conditions and government neglect. The song reminds us that malaria is a small but significant issue that affects Africans, and it is a problem that we have learned to live with. The repeated phrase "mosquito dey bitin me" is a reminder of how the disease spreads and causes sickness in Africans, who are routinely bitten by mosquitoes.
The song highlights the different parts of the body where a mosquito may bite, and the consequences of such bites, such as the person getting sick, especially if there is no access to proper healthcare. The song also sheds light on how the government's lack of support for its people contributes to the spread of malaria, emphasizing the need for clean water and good healthcare.
The artiste then advocates for a need for action to be taken against malaria, as it is a problem that needs to be addressed before more lives are lost. The song calls on Africans to demand better governance, clean water, and basic amenities to stop the spread of malaria and corruption. Mosquito Song is a wake-up call to everyone, to listen and to be aware of the dangers of malaria, which should not have a place in modern-day Africa.
Line by Line Meaning
E get one think wey we don dey live with (We Africans)
There is one thing that we Africans have been dealing with for a long time.
Na small matter but na big matter too (We Africans)
It may seem like a small issue, but it actually has a big impact.
This matter don happen to you and me (We Africans)
This is an issue that affects all of us Africans.
Na wetin be this matter sef
What is the issue at hand?
Mosquito dey bitin me
Mosquitoes are biting me.
E bite me I sick for body
Their bites are making me feel ill.
E bite me for hand (Mosquitto dey)
They have bitten me on my hand.
E bite me for leg (Mosquitto dey)
They have bitten me on my leg.
E bite me for ear (Mosquitto dey)
They have bitten me on my ear.
Even bite me for mouth (Mosquito dey)
They have even bitten me on my mouth.
E bite me for nose (Mosquito dey)
They have bitten me on my nose.
E bite me for yansh (Mosquito dey)
They have bitten me on my buttocks.
Event bit me blo cos (Mosquito dey)
They have even bitten me on my scrotum.
Ha ra ra ra
An expression of frustration and exasperation.
Tell me now now now now
Tell me right away.
We don tire to dey sick
We are tired of falling ill.
We don tire to dey die
We are tired of dying.
Every day of every weel
E dey happen for your eye
Every day of every week, it is happening before your very eyes.
Na the government of the people
No put clean water for the people
It is the government's responsibility to provide clean water, but they have not done so.
Na the government of the people
No take good care of the people
The government is supposed to take care of its people, but they have failed to do so.
So I say make una hear
So listen to what I have to say.
Shey na till we die finish una go (Stop the malaria)
Do you plan to stop malaria when we are all dead?
Till we die finish una go (Stop the corruption)
Do you plan to stop corruption when we are all dead?
Lyrics © LILI LOUISE MUSIQUE
Written by: KUTI OLUWASEUN ANIKULAPO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind