FEMI KUTI: THE
DEFINITVE COLLECTION
By: Jiba Molei Anderson
What can be said
about Femi Kuti that hasn’t been
said before? His father was Fela
Kuti, the near-mythic hero of
Afrobeat, a hybrid of jazz,
funk, soul, and traditional
African music. Fela, the African
counterpart to Bob Marley in the
musical pantheon, was known as
much for his numerous wives and
penchant for smoking marijuana,
as well as for being the musical
and political voice of a
generation in Nigeria.
However, unlike
Marley whose children have all
shared the responsibility of
honoring his legacy (Ziggy,
Stephen, etc.) since his
transition, the legacy of Fela
(who passed away from the
effects of AIDS in 1997) rested
squarely on Femi’s shoulders. We
have seen others, who were not
able to live up to the legends
that their fathers have created,
but Femi has taken the best from
his father, the political
relevancy coupled with raw
sensuality, and combined it with
his own sensibilities.
As much as Fela
was a product of his times, Femi
is the prophet of our age. This
is evident in this
retrospective, Femi Kuti:
The Definitive Collection.
This two-disc tour de force
features some of the artist’s
from the albums Shoki Shoki
and Fight To Win,
as well as remixes and
collaborations from some of the
hottest names in Hip-Hop,
Neo-Soul, and Electronic music.
From the frenetic sexuality of
Beng, Beng, Beng
to Do Your Best (with
guest vocals from Mos Def) to
the re-working of the classic
anthem Water No Get Enemy
(featuring D’Angelo and Macy
Gray) on the first disc, we see
a new master at the top of his
game proudly carrying on the
tradition of protest and change.
We almost hear the sweat from
his brow as he uses his
saxophone as another voice
filled with righteousness, rage,
and hope.
The second disc
is all about the club. Though
not as strong as the first disc,
it is nonetheless satisfying.
Truth Don Die, as
remixed by House music legend
Kerry Chandler, is a guaranteed
crowd pleaser sure to fill the
dance floor. Also, they were
wise to include the bombastic
call-to-action What Will
Tomorrow Bring in this
collection. Other remixes don’t
fare as well. The AVDC remix
Victim Of Life seems
uninspired and the Faze Action
remix of Do Your Best
leaves a little to be desired.
But these are minor hiccups in
an otherwise fine collection
showcasing the work of a man
that not only understands his
responsibility to Fela’s great
legacy, but embraces it and is
willing to add his unique voice
for future generations who
demand justice set to a funky
beat.
In The Continuum Debuts in
Chicago
By Omotayo Adeyemo
Playing at the
Goodman Theater in Chicago from
May 25th through June 24th, is
In the Continuum, a play
written by two women, Danai
Gurira and Nikkole Salter who
decided to lend their voices to
the millions of women suffering
from HIV/AIDS . Since its New
York debut in September 2005,
the play has achieved immense
success with the New York Times
praising it as one of the best
plays of 2005 and calling it
“moving, smart, spirited and
powerfully funny.”
The play is the
story of two women; Abigail, a
Zimbabwean wife, expecting
mother, and news anchor in
Zimbabwe and Nia, a street-smart
poet in South Central Los
Angeles who is living in a youth
home. Their lives are
transformed when they each learn
that they are HIV positive.
In the play, the
two women never actually cross
paths but yet they are bound
together by a common dilemma
that transcends geographical
boundaries. This is drama in its
most organic form, with a
two-man cast consisting of
Gurira and Salter- each playing
a dozen roles. The stage is
simply adorned with two wooden
stools and some splintered
blocks-depicting the isolation
caused by the disease. With the
skillful use of light, the
audience is taken on a journey
as the characters experience
waves of joy, happiness,
sadness, despair and sorrow.
Since its
inception, the play has received
rave reviews amongst very
receptive audiences. The show
has played in Philadelphia,
Washington D.C. Cincinnati,
Zimbabwe, Los Angeles, New York,
and now Chicago. It is indeed a
tasteful piece of theater and
one that is highly recommended.
Seun Kuti: “Small
Boy With Big Man Sense”
By Kate Endeley
When legendary
musician Fela Kuti passed away
in 1997, few probably expected
that anyone would fill his
shoes. Since his death, several
artists have put in their bid
for the crown but few have come
close to matching the Afro Beat
king. That is, until now. Seun
Kuti, the youngest son of the
Nigerian artist has risen out of
the ashes as an Afro-Beat
musician who is the closest
thing to Fela as any nostalgic,
Afro Beat lover may get. Seun
has inherited his father’s
skills on the saxophone; his
deep, powerful voice and even
his father’s band (Egypt 80). At
24, he is one of the youngest
artists to try his hand at a
musical genre which many of his
generation view as outdated.
So why would
someone who was not even old
enough to drive when his father
died choose such a career path?
Well, it can be said that Seun
was born into this music. “When
I was a kid he [Fela] used to
take us everywhere to watch him
perform,” recalled the young
artist in a recent interview
with AFRIQUE. In awe of his
father’s talent and effect on
people, Seun decided to follow
in his footsteps. By age eight,
he was opening shows for Fela
and singing back up with Egypt
‘80. Shortly after his father’s
death, he attended university in
England and about eight years
ago, he launched his career as a
professional musician.
Today, he has
stepped in as the lead vocalist
and saxophonist of Egypt ‘80. It
is no wonder that one of the
band members fondly referred to
Seun as “the small boy with big
man sense”. In person, he is
just as outspoken about
political issues as his father.
“In Nigeria we still have
ninety percent of the population
sharing one percent of the
resources,” said Seun,
expressing his dissatisfaction
with the leaders of his country.
Like any great
political artist, his discontent
is evident in his music. Perhaps
the most popular of his songs is
“Think Africa”, in which Seun
urges Africans to stop fighting
each other for resources. Apart
from the few songs which he has
written, Seun’s concerts are
dominated by his renditions of
Fela’s songs. Admirers say his
hip gyrations; retro costumes;
and commanding presence is
eerily reminiscent of his
father’s.
But there are
some musical critics who simply
classify Seun’s political
rhetoric and colorful jumpsuits
as unoriginal. They accuse the
young performer of imitating
Fela to such an extent that his
individual artistic identity is
lost. Seun is unfazed by the
criticism. “I think it is
incredible,” he said of the
accusation. “I’m trying to be
an Afro-beat musician. So who am
I supposed to sound like?”
In fact, he explained, he is
flattered when people compare
him to Fela. “He is my
inspiration,” Seun added.
What has been
frustrating for Seun is the
constant comparison to his more
famous older brother, Femi Kuti.
Critics praise Femi for daring
to step out of his father’s
shadow by exploring other
musical influences. Seun, they
say, has yet to do that. There
were even rumors that there was
some friction between the two
brothers. Seun insists that
although he and Femi have had
some disagreements in the past,
they are getting along fine.
“The media has blown it [the
feud] out of proportion,” he
said. He describes his current
relationship with Femi as
“cordial”.
The fact is, Seun
wants the chance to evolve as an
artist. He acknowledges that his
brother (who is twenty years his
senior) is a more experienced
musician, but vows that he too
will someday find his musical
identity. Until then, Seun hopes
that he can encourage the
members of his generation to
invoke political change in
Nigeria and in other parts of
Africa. “We [the youth] need to
take some time and think about
what we’re going to be doing in
thirty years,” he explained.
Only time will
tell if Seun Kuti will be
successful at remixing an old
brand of music for a new
generation. But if nothing else,
he will go down in history as
the son who fought to keep his
father’s political and musical
legacy alive.
Seun Kuti and
Egypt 80 will be performing at
the “Music Without Borders”
International Music Series on
June 28th at downtown’s
Millennium Park. It will be his
first performance in Chicago.
The concert is free. For more
information, call 312 742
1168.
