Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti was born in London on 16 June 1962; although he grew up in the former

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Nigerian capital Lagos.

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Femi followed his father, Fela Kuti into the music of Afrobeat.

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Throughout Femi's career he has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes.

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but he differs from his father because the religious conviction of Fela is not taken by Femi.

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Femi released "Fight To Win" in 2001, a 12 song CD. The CD featured Mos Def and Common.

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Like father, like son. The undisputed inheritor of the genius of Nigerian Afrobeat superstar Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is his 38-year-old son, FEMI KUTI. The First Family of Afrobeat has officially arrived in the United States, with MCA Records helming the domestic release of the recorded work of father and son.

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Femi Kuti's sophomore MCA album, Fight To Win, is a powerfully moving collection of songs written about his life in Lagos, his father and sister's untimely deaths in 1997, and Femi's continuing fight for social and political change in Nigeria and around the world. Fans who felt Femi's 2000 MCA debut, Shoki Shoki, neared perfection will be astounded to hear what seems implausible, almost impossible: Femi Kuti has raised the bar yet again - Fight To Win reveals absolute Afrobeat brilliance from start to finish, with standout guest performances from Mos Def, Common, Money Mark, and Jaguar Wright adding to the album's cohesive groove.

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Femi's version of Afrobeat is the most exciting new sound to emerge from Nigeria for years, borrowing the best elements from his father's powerfully polyrhythmic prototype: a funky, jazzy, heavily percussive sound that took James Brown's beat back to Africa. Femi adds to that winning formula the freshness and exuberance of young Lagos and its taste for the new R&B and dance music of America and Europe.

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Femi's last album, Shoki Shoki, demonstrated the strong Anikulapo-Kuti Afrobeat tradition blended with Femi's new western influences. Femi's songs, averaging five to six minutes in length, differ from those of his father, whose hypnotic jams often topped 30 minutes each when recorded, stretching to over an hour when performed live. Writer David Hecht described the musical similarities and differences of father and son in his 1999 New York Times article titled "A Son Builds on His Father's Afro-Beat and Politics": "In his latest album, Shoki Shoki, the quasi-'70s synthesizer and wah-wah-pedal effects owe more to the funk revival with singers like Lauryn Hill than to music his father played in his heyday... What the father and son's songs share is a libidinous energy, while focusing on Nigeria's political failures. With Nigeria's move to civilian rule, one of the songs being played on the radio is 'What Will Tomorrow Bring?' by Femi Anikulapo-Kuti."

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Femi first rose to international prominence in 1985, when he appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, fronting Fela's 40-piece band, Egypt 80. Fela had failed to make it onto the plane, having been arrested at Lagos airport and jailed on a trumped-up fraud charge. Femi, already a member of his father's band, came to the rescue that night, giving a show that brought the audience at the packed Bowl to its feet. Even though the fans had paid to see and hear the charismatic Fela, Femi was able to fully satisfy them with the same rude, muscular sax style (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone) and lean self-confidence bordering on arrogance.

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Two years later, Femi had formed his own young band, The Positive Force, and released their debut album for Polygram Nigeria. Entitled No Cause for Alarm, the album was a raw but impressive mixture of funky soul-jazz, driving percussion and horns, with sharp social comment. Strong interest in this album prompted a dramatic debut appearance in Paris, where Femi's no-holds-barred show devastated a huge audience.

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In 1994, Femi was signed by the legendary Motown label. An album, Wonder Wonder, was released in 1995, and was followed by a highly successful tour of the United States. Unfortunately, soon after the record's release, a change in the presidency of Motown resulted in the scrapping of Tabu, the African music boutique label which the company's former president, Jeryhl Busby, had championed. An undaunted Femi pressed on, carrying out extensive tours within Africa, with further acclaimed visits to Europe in 1996 and 1997.

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Sadly, in August of 1997, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti died. Femi and his sister, Yeni, were appointed as executors of Fela's estate. Another tragedy was to shake the Kuti family to their roots shortly afterward with the untimely death from cancer of Femi's younger sister, Sola. Together with Yeni, Sola was a founding member of The Positive Force and her presence is greatly missed. Her place in the group was taken by Femi's wife, Funke, who has proven to be a gifted singer and dancer. In December 1997, Femi signed a recording contract with Barclay/Polygram, and later signed with MCA Records in the U.S. Shoki Shoki was released in 2000 to tremendous critical acclaim, from Spin, Vibe, Rolling Stone, and the Fader to the New Yorker, Mother Jones, and NPR.

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Femi performs regularly in Lagos, and has toured extensively in Europe and the United States. Femi and The Positive Force will return to the States this October and November for club dates across the country.

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In 1999, Femi received top honors at the Kora All Africa Music Awards, including Best Male Artist in Africa and Best Song for his sexually charged single "Beng Beng Beng," and at the globally televised World Music Awards on May 10, 2000, Femi received the Best-Selling African Artist award and performed "Beng Beng Beng" to a captivated audience. Last year, UNICEF published Femi's AIDS in Africa essay in its Progress of Nations 2000 report, and Femi Kuti and The Positive Force closed the year with a performance to a global TV audience at the Nobel Peace Prize Award concert last December in Oslo.

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Check out his website: www.femikuti.net.

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16 June: REDIRECT June 16...

1962: 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). In Chinese Zodiac, the "year" of the Ox ended on February 4, 1962 and the "year" of the Tiger began on February 5, 1962....

Nigerian: REDIRECT Nigeria...