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
Rise
Seun Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our stomach still empty
Our ear don full for your words
Our stomach still empty
Our ear don full for your words
Our stomach still empty
Our ear don full for your words
Our stomach still empty
Our stomach still empty
I dey cry for my country
When I see am in the hands of these people
Yea yea
I dey cry for my country
When I see am in the hands of these people
Yea yea
I dey cry for Africa
When I see am in the hands of these people
Yea yea
Yea Yea na business dem dey take am dey do
Yeparipa
Na business to dem ohohoh
Na business dem dey take our country dey do
Na business to dem ohohoh
Na business dem dey do that′s why dem dey share am like oga
Na business to dem ohohoh
Na business dem dey do that's why dem no dey share am with the people
Na business to dem ohohoh
Na business dem dey do, dem dey sell our continent away
Dem dey sell am every day and dem dey bring the people down (them dey bring us down)
Our children no dey chop and we still no get work
(Ko si se lode oh)
Dem dey sell am every day an dem dey bring the people down
(Won wow a n le ho)
We must rise up one day
We must rise up
We must rise up I say
We must rise up I say
We must rise up against the petroleum companies
We dey use our oil to destroy our land oh ho
We must rise against the diamond companies
Wey dey use our brothers as slave for the stone
We must rise against our African rulers
Wey be black man for face, white man for yansh
We must rise against companies like Mosanto and Halliburton
Wey dey use their food to make my people hungry
Oh yes, we must rise
Rise Rise Rise up
To grow our own food
Rise Rise Rise up
For our children to go school
Rise Rise Rise up
Make we get work to do
Rise Rise Rise up
Make our life go dey better
Rise Rise Rise up
Seun Kuti's song "Rise" is a political commentary about the state of Africa and the corruption of its leaders. The repeated line "Our ear don full for your words, our stomach still empty" perfectly captures the frustration felt by many people in Africa who are promised change and prosperity by politicians but receive little in return. The lyrics are a call to action for Africans to rise up against those who take advantage of their resources and bring them down.
The second verse of the song shifts the focus to Africa as a whole, with Seun Kuti crying for the continent when he sees it in the hands of corrupt people. He repeats the phrase "na business dem dey do" to emphasize that the exploitation of Africa and its people is done for profit. The consequences of this exploitation are felt by ordinary Africans who struggle to make ends meet and provide for their families.
The final part of the song gives a clear message of what needs to be done to uplift Africa. Seun Kuti calls on Africans to rise up against the petroleum and diamond companies that are causing destruction and enslavement, as well as the corrupt rulers who are in cahoots with them. He also mentions Monsanto and Halliburton, companies that are taking advantage of the continent's agriculture.
Overall, "Rise" is a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the struggles of Africa and its people, and a call to action for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Our ear don full for your words
We are tired of hearing empty promises
Our stomach still empty
We are still suffering from poverty
I dey cry for my country
I am sad for my country
When I see am in the hands of these people
When I see it under the control of corrupt officials
Yea Yea na business dem dey take am dey do
Yes, they are doing it for their own selfish interests
Na business dem dey take our country dey do
They are using our country for their own business purposes
Na business dem dey do that′s why dem dey share am like oga
They are not sharing the profits fairly because of their business interests
Na business dem dey do that's why dem no dey share am with the people
They don't share the profits with the citizens because of their selfish interests
Na business dem dey do, dem dey sell our continent away
They are selling our continent for their own business purposes
Dem dey sell am every day and dem dey bring the people down (them dey bring us down)
They are selling our resources every day and it is making the citizens suffer
Our children no dey chop and we still no get work (Ko si se lode oh)
Our children are starving and we are still unemployed
Won wow a n le ho
They are making us suffer
We must rise up one day
We need to fight back
We must rise up against the petroleum companies
We need to fight against oil companies that destroy our land
We dey use our oil to destroy our land oh ho
We are destroying our land with the oil we extract
We must rise against the diamond companies
We need to fight against companies that use our brothers as slaves for diamonds
Wey dey use our brothers as slave for the stone
That use our people as slaves for diamonds
We must rise against our African rulers
We need to fight against our corrupt leaders
Wey be black man for face, white man for yansh
Who are black on the outside, but act like white people
We must rise against companies like Mosanto and Halliburton
We need to fight against corporations that use their food to make people hungry
Wey dey use their food to make my people hungry
Who use their food to make the citizens suffer
To grow our own food
We need to be self-sufficient and grow our own food
For our children to go school
We need to provide education for our children
Make we get work to do
We need to create jobs
Make our life go dey better
We need to improve our lives
Writer(s): Seun Kuti
Contributed by Julia F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Oke Oghenekowhegba
Am a black man living in Europe walking to work on a cold winter night, listening to this on my headphones and am shedding tears.
Noor M.
@Para Celus That’s an ignorant comment. You can know that ruling powers want to keep humanity divided while still recognizing our identity and race has a huge impact on daily life.
Para Celus
Can't you identify yourself as just a man. Identity culture is often being made to be divisive nowadays. I have also walked on cold wet snowing challenging nights which is not pleasant but real. It challenges us personally but can anyone person or group make a change. What is culture? Think on it my fellow person. PS: Great music
Elisabeth Scott
"Rise up against the petroleum companies . . . diamond companies . . . companies like Monsanto" OH YEAHHHHH!!!! Thanks Seun Kuti! My new musical hero. Elisa
Keldorl
I just can't express how much this song resonates with my soul.
Kudos on such a great music Seun and Egypt 80.
Sincerely from Brazil
And yes, we MUST rise.
yemi odejobi
Seun Kuti is good like his legend father Fela Rip. Have no doubt he's his own man with his own style, his bro Femi is equally unique n talented. great family. luv them all .
Jennycolin Preen
rototom reggae sunsplash Benacassim Spain 13th august 2017
jurgen furjurgen
Seun and his big incredible band seen in Valence (France) past thursday!!!
Fantastic and generous show!!! So much guts, "joie de vivre" and energy communicated to the public!!! Thanks thanks thanks!!!! Unbelievable the lack of view for their videos on you tube!!!
Paulo Mariante
Salve a grande mãe África, que nos brinda com tantas maravilhas. Axé, Seun Kuti!
Somali girl Somali
Can't get enough of this song❤ So Deep and meaningful!!