The Genius of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat (feat. Femi & Made Kuti)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
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The brilliance of Nigeria’s Fela Kuti and the innovation of Afrobeat are synonymous with activism, dance, and the representation of beauty within African culture.
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Fela Kuti has inspired musicians from all over the world from Burna Boy and Beyoncé, to Miles Davis. Sound Field dives into the musical genius of Fela's cultural funk. Host LA Buckner speaks to Fela's son and grandson, Femi and Made Kuti about carrying on the legacy of Afrobeat.
Watch more Sound Field
How James Brown Invented Funk
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00:00 - Fela Kuti's Influence
03:12 - The Origins of Afrobeat
05:24 - The Ingredients of the Afrobeat Sound
08:06 - Fela Kuti's Fight For Justice
10:28 - Fela Kuti's Legacy
13:02 - Afrobeat's Influence in Pop and Hip Hop
We like music. You like music. Let’s break it down. Sound Field is a PBS Digital Studios web series produced by Rewire.org.
#SoundFieldPBS #Rewire #PBSDigitalStudios James Brown Antibalas KOKOROKO Tony Allen egypt 80 lagos music theory yeni kuti felabration dele sosimi koola
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Actually crazy that we live in a time that Fela's son and grandson are both making music for us.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Yess bro! It's an amazing, living musical legacy 🤎🎶
Just wanted to give props on the pronunciation of the Nigerian names or terms. Respecting the music means respecting the culture✊🏾🖤
@Read A book umm be quiet disrespectfully. euros ruined africa and the new world with its colonialistic ideaology it left behind when nigeria gained independence
@Read A book also Africans taught yall how to bath read do math.. before that yall were living in disease riddled cities in europe. so disrespectfully be quiet
@Read A book and if europeans are so great why cant you spell
@Read A book well from reading your comments its seems euros werent all that educated nor did they know how to write. everywere euros went they left behind mass destruction.
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
I'm just a Mexican guy who loves the Fela sound and message. Reeespect.
Afro Cuban Afro Puerto Rican Yoruba descendant here loving this♥️♥️♥️🇨🇺🇵🇷✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽
Let’s be friends lol I’m Yoruba living in Nigeria 🇳🇬
My dad was in the Nigerian Army and he forbids us playing Fela's music at home. Fela's music was underground in most homes in Nigeria because parents thinks it will have a negative influence over children.
Thank you for this perspective!
Yes that was true
My mum said this too about her friends but my grandparents loved Fela
Same here my dad was a general officer back in late 1970s my dad told they couldn’t play Felas music, but anyway he was quiet shocked that I know slot of Felas songs
The SK...
With respect, it was when Fela was in the US and heard James Brown's band that the penny dropped. That was when he put the two guitars in the band playing those slinky, funky lines but never soloing. The two guitars and Tony Allen's drumming were the bedrock of Africa 70. Great work, thank you.
You are correct Sir apart from the fact that Tony Allen was instructed by Fela. There isn’t a viable source where Fela is quoted saying Tony Allen is synonymous with Afrobeat.
The rock hall fan vote 2021 brought me here, Fela Kuti is currently in the lead.
People thought it was a joke. So many people said who tf is fela. The greatest of all time, FELA KUTI 🐐
My dad met fela at a girls school in guinea bissau. So jealous
For anyone interested in afrobeat, you MUST see it live! After seeing Femi and his band, the energy is like nothing else I've experienced. Even if a song has an angry or revolutionary message, you dance it out anyway, because the music forces you.
A good Afro/Latin beat act to check out is Chico Mann and Captain Planet (hint: they have a Boiler Room video on TH-cam) also Chico Mann’s long player Analog drift is worth a very good listen for fans of Fela Kuti.
The energy is more electrifying when you see Femi Kuti, his band and more recently Made Kuti(still playing bass and sax on his Dad’s band)and who made his debut, with his band on Easter Sunday, perform at the Kalakuta Shrine(the home of afrobeat). I visit the Kalakuta Shrine almost every week where entry is free on during the week and about $2 on Sundays. It is a trip every time.
Femi Kuti turned down he chance to sell out but continued the legacy started by Fela at the Kalakuta Shrine.
The Anikolakpo-Kuti name is a national treasure. We are grateful the Kutis are Nigerian ambassadors.
I couldn’t agree more. When I lived in Lagos ‘94-‘96, I was at the Shrine every weekend-usually the only white guy in the place-and the music, the rhythm, the enerrgy, the joyy was all encompassing. I saw nothing but smiles all around me. As I became a recognized regular fan, I was invited into the inner circle so to speak, eventually taking some of Fela’s wives back to Kalakuta after the show and chatting with Fela in his inner sanctum into the wee hours of the morning. I was so sad to hear about his death a few years after I left Nigeria but so happy his music lives on.
@hughchi Did you ever run into Emmanuel Macron? Heard he was a regular then too?
Water get no enemy has one of the greatest intros.
and one of the greatest endings too... that piano is a killer
I love the way you analyse Fela’s composition of Afrobeat music ...it shows the creativity genius in him ✊🏾
@@keemkehinde No doubt he was a genius.
Also Gentleman as well has a great intro...
It's certainly Yellow Fever for me
First heard Fela after digging around in the audio collection at my local library 15 years ago (a big surprise in the Pacific NW). Never underestimate the power of the library or great music.
thats a great tip, i should head to the library right now
@@SoundFieldPBS Forgot to say Thank You for the video. Now I have a Fela loop running through my head. Much better than the grandbebe"s music that was there before...
I can relate! I remember years ago I found out about Steel Pulse, Burning Spear, and Peter Tosh all from the library’s reggae section
I love hearing about the influence of Black Feminism on his music and message - props to Sandra and Féla’s mom 🙏🏾🖤🖤🖤
That’s so interesting, I was coming here to comment because I feel like the side I have learned from him is his mysognistic beliefs and how he was proud to be sexist. I’m having a hard time seeing how two realities cannot exist in ones greatness, I’m not saying he was a terrible person and contributed nothing especially to music. He really did change the world of music with his influence and he also kept his country stagnant for decades since bc he pushed sexist ideology in his music that is still widely prized and listened to today as a symbolic representation of Nigerian society.
@@kaithleen3872 can't believe everything you hear.
@@kaithleen3872 you have a simplistic linear understanding of things from your comment. Fela is not sexist or feminist but he was Fela finding layers of justice and love. For example he took is wives to legitimise many different women with danger of becoming just stigmatised as groupies and prostitutes in a misogynistic society some of whom were foreigners at risk of deportation. Fela being a mischievous and Elegba character with humour will play to this false dichotomy of good and bad. He was no saint nor was he sinner but a man of deep love for humanity
@@kaithleen3872 "he pushed his sexist ideology in his music that is still widely prized and listened to as a symbolic representation of Nigerian society" bro wtf are you on about 🤨
There is no such thing as Black feminism... It is a purely White concept, designed without Blacks in mind. African Women always held positions of power, from Egypt to South Africa... it wasn't until White Christianity stepped in that patriarchism messed everything up.
The Zombie album is astounding.
I love it too
Love Fela. Water get no enemy is one of my favorite songs of all time. Also love this channel, great video!
This brother did his homework before he embarked on this Afrobeat piece. This is perhaps the most in-depth narration of this musical styling I've seen.
Www
Really? It feels like a book report to me. Panders a bit to the modern audience. I don't have a problem with that either, because you've got to appeal to the youth to get those clicks, but it's kind of all over the place. I love that they got Femi and Made, though. Should've just been a whole interview with them. Nobody cares about Drake and Beyonce.
This was great. Thanks. As a white guy growing up here in Brooklyn I can't begin to know all that influenced Fela's lyrics but it's been a learning experience for over 20 years now and I can honestly say very few days go by that I don't listen to some Fela. My one regret is that I didn't get into him a little earlier so I could have seen him. But thankfully we have alot of great afrobeat bands keeping the music and style alive. Seun put on the best afrobeat show I've ever seen..but if it wasn't for Antibalas I probably would have never got so into Fela as I have. Always loved the Funk and Jazz so it was a natural progression. His music moves me like few others. I put his importance up there with Bob Marley, Miles, and some of the other all time greatest musicians.
Honestly, as a man who grew up in different cultures and experienced every type of music, no musician has had a greater impact on me than Fela Kuti. It wasn't just the music he played but also the profundity of his lyrics.
Wow...! Proud to have danced to Fela's album "ZOMBIE", as a school kid, while growing up in Nigeria. How time flies but Fela's gift to Nigeria and, hopefully, the world, will linger on. Thank you for making this fantastic documentary. I really appreciate it !!
As a Nigerian American I lived part of my life (the entire 90s) in Nigeria this takes me back, unfortunately he passed just as Femi was coming into his own as a musician. This was very well done and for some reason almost brought me to tears.
The tears are well worth it all!
my exact sentiments bro! Fela CREATED AN ENTIRE GENRE!!! If that isn't a testament to his greatness, I don't know what is🤷 My respect to him, and to Femi, Seun, & Made, consummate artistes in their own right, furthering the Afrobeat legacy. Oshéy jare👏👏👏👏👏
I named my daughter after his mother.
The mother of nigeria. You did well!!
Awesome , hope we see lots more of that into the future . Naming your kid Fela was pretty much anathema in Nigeria for decades after his febrile defiance exploded on the scene in the mid 70’s unsettling the fragile confidence of an ultra conservative post colonial Polity .
@@lawrenceeze6685 on point .
Such a powerful woman. Great choice
Her name means “ Give me joy”. Beautiful name
His music was my introduction to afrobeat / afrobeats over a decade ago. I fell down the rabbit hole. How could a song last for ten minutes and never lose any fire. I downloaded everything and also Femi.
Sitting at the drums, thought we'd get a taste of LA working through them Tony Allen rhythms lol. Great Video, thanks!
I got in touch with Fela Kuti from my parents. my mother is nigerian and my dutch father has always been a fan of Fela. it has only been since recently i've into it again. amazing sound
I don't know this brother but he has done an excellent job in breaking down AfroBeat! Many thanks to you for simplifying and making it clear.
0:26 my dad would play this all time in the car when we were kids. We are Nigerian and I would love this. This is so nostalgic to me
Fela is one of my all time favourites! I remember seeing his picture in the newspaper and reading the headline on a roadside in Lagos soon after he died. The man's musical work and activism are treasures. He is a Legend!
Great history - thanks!
I was turned on to Fela in the early 80s - and almost saw him in 1984 in Berkeley - but he'd just been arrested in Nigeria right before the tour started. Femi stepped in and took over leading the band. it was sad to see his band without him, but one would not have known - the energy was so high at the concert. Saw Femi several years later in Stern Grove in San Francisco - doing his own awesome music. Love Afrobeat!
Love this. Would love to see a vid shed on African gospel music, which has become so popular. So much so, that many gospel artists have been going over to perform within the churches.
I love this channel!
Salute from Brazil 🇧🇷👊🏽🔥
I love Brazil 🇧🇷 and especially Bahia
I very much liked the breakdown you gave of his music, how the parts come together. For me, Fela Kuti is one of those artists who divide time: there was me before I heard his music and then me after.
The facts in this video is a great tribute to Fela ......... Nothing less than Brilliant .... I've been through every emotion listening to Fela's Music the first music to ever run me through that spectrum...... Especially after you Read his Wiki page .... Fela was definitely a one man Revolution..... Not to mention Tony Allen, he was a beast...........
Antibalas is just one of the “western” bands carrying on Fela’s legacy. I recommend Ikebe Shakedown, Budos Band, Polyrhythmics, and The Shaolin Afronauts just to name a few.
Wow. Thanks. Will check those groups out
I saw Antibalas play live in London about twenty years ago. Fantastic band
@@veritas2048 And I saw them in 2019, they were probably just as good, if not better.
@@zeppelin695
Will never forget that night........
Antibalas brought the funk to London.
There’s another band from chile I’ll update y’all when I get their name
Timeless, still so influential. I was lucky enough to see Femi Kuti in concert a few years ago - carrying his dad’s legacy forward 🙏🏾🖤
👏 for Fela Kuti Father of Afro Beat. I'm a superfan of all things Afrobeats. Love to Mama Africa💜 Here's to induction to hall of fame. Your Legacy has been embraced world-wide. One Love✊ 🇺🇸
@Read A book Lies you tell. Stay off my post Hater. Take that hate somewhere else and do something productive ✌
Best thing is that you don't have to be from Nigeria or Africa to resonate with his songs and message.....
The man's creation is timeless. Always wish Nigeria had couple of more like him during his time. Who knows 🤔 this might be better in the country now..
If you don’t like Fela its probably because you haven’t heard him yet. Amazing, hypnotic, energetic music!
Thank very much you for this -- Fela was a complicated man and a musical genius, and it's great to see more people in the west -- and young people in Africa -- discovering how his funky, complex, layered groove influenced musicians all over the world -- and was integral to brave political messages aimed at injustice on every level. Perfect time for a revival and appreciation of Fela and Afrobeat . Just love it on every level.
It's thanks to Fela Kuti's music that i've survived this dreadfull year
Fela transformed my love for music into passion more than any other musician or artist for more than 25 years. His music has so much soul and power.
Sir Buckner u are amazing!!! 🤗
I truly appreciate ur recognition of Afrobeat...🙏
I'm from Nigeria...😊
I was VERY lucky to see Fela Kuti in London in 1986... in a set lasting over 3 hours, he played only 4 tunes.... it was AMAZING!
I first heard Fela in 1984. I remember exactly where I was and how I felt hearing Kalakuta Show. After Fela's saxophone intro the bands groove full speed ahead excited me so much I remember these exact words coming to mind, this is the music I've been looking for my entire life!
I have no idea how I stumbled onto Fela Kuti in middle school as a metalhead but it changed how I looked at music for sure
Great episode! I’ve been a fan of Fela Kuti for 20 years now and Im still amazed by his music. For anyone that would like know more about him I recomend the book Fela: This bitch oh a life by Carlos Moore.
I'm very thankful I was introduced to Fela Kuti. The man was a legend. He should be named with the greatest composers of the 20th century.
Should've mentioned his influence on Talking Heads, especially Remain in Light
We should’ve 🤷🏽♀️
I thought the same thing, me being a rock kid from the 70s/80s.
The list would go on forever. Everyone has been deeply impacted.
Honestly you could do a whole series on Fela and still leave out vital info.
@@findyourspine Fair! I was first introduced to Fela through TH, and I imagine a lot of other people were, too.
This fantastic and well timed for those voting for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame award. He was nominated this year.
I didn't know
where can I vote?
damn sound field; knocked it right out of the park again. very informative episode!
I literally LISTEN to Afrobeats Everyday! Afrobeats is here to stay💕💕💕🎶🎼💯🎧
I first heard of him roughly 2 months ago when I worked on a presentation about Nigerian music for English class.
Oh fr an I see the presentation
You folks crammed in a lot! If any of this is new to anybody, I dare you to follow the little teasers they dropped! Keep up the good work folks!!!
Legendary!! You could do a whole other video on his album covers alone - they were so amazing.
Thank you for great research. When I discovered his music I was in awe and passionately curious! To drive into his music is to drive into his life and was intrigued to learn both. His music is revolutionary and iconic! His music is very alive in the African spirit!
Now I know what they were chanting in the Michael Jackson song "You Want to be Startin' Something"! Thank you!
Looking up the lyrics to that song was probably my first introduction to the world of Afrobeat
😎Here's the track: th-cam.com/video/eVaUDAqrpKk/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/1ep3scIb1_A/w-d-xo.html
Way before Fela, Manu Dibango brought the Makossa sound to a European (French mostly) audience, opening the path to many more. He recently passed away. Phenomenal musician. Funnily enough Camerron & Nigeria share a lot culturally.
@@free1855 True, but Afrobeats draws its content from the Yoruba Language and that is what make keeps it alive till date. And the fact that Yoruba Language is a Tonal Language that every word must contain the Vowels of Do - Re - Mi tones as it s also obtainable in all Musical instruments.
I came back for more Fela inspired Afrobeat and Afrobeats lessons
Omg yes!!! I discovered him in high school! One of the reasons why I decided to study music:)
Yes Lion. Fela....! Water no get no enemy. Greatest jams, Dude. 63 yr old jew here. African music is life.
fan from Ethiopia 💚💛❤️
15:55 When she put Fela and Manu together on the Déjà Vu intro I was crying.
Great to have you back, guys. I miss the dynamic duo but L.A is incredible! Fela goes beyonde time, because lives in every new bit artists try to create :)
The prophet. The black president. A true gift thatwill never come again. YEAH YEAH
I can't believe y'all actually got Femi on this video. One of my favorite musicians of all time
Sound Field joints are the only videos I save until I have no distractions on my attention. Brava
Adding more Fela and his family to my playlist. Dance, music, and protest work so beautifully together. Great way to end black history month. Keep up the good work!
Love the music of the late, great Fela Kuti.
You didn't mention the fantastic Australian Afrobeat band - the Public Opinion Afro Orchestra. They are original but definitely heavily derived from Fela Kuti, with African members including West Africans. They incorporate rap and African dancing into their show.
What a legend! I'm so glad you created this video ✨💗
So hype for this revolutionary musician
Did Nahre stop doing this series? It's been a year since one of her videos
Nahre is working on a lot of projects and didn't have time to do season 2 with us, but we hope she'll be able to return for some more episodes soon. We've got plans in the works but nothing concrete.
I knew of felas music for a while and I had a whole new love after seeing fela the Broadway play!! Thank u so much for shedding light on so much more!
I'm a little sad you didn't mention J Dilla and Commons tribute to Fela on the first track from Like Water For Chocolate 😔. Besides that great video as always! Keep up the good work 😊.
Fela Kuti is amazing! I remember buying a used compilation of his over a decade ago at a local record store and falling in love with the sound! I popped the CD in my friends car and we were entranced by the rhythm and message. We became instant fans!
We sincerely don't talk about and give enough credit to Orlando Julius. That man was a genius
Oh my gosh, so excited you’re covering Fela Kuti!! I first heard of him through an interview with Santigold on NPR years ago! He’s amazing!!
Outstanding work!! I’m so impressed. FELA shines his love down upon you, no doubt. Yeah Yeah!
Well damn, now i have like 10 new albums in my " to listen" list.
This is one video with facts about Fela and Afrobeat. One of the best and realest I’ve seen. I have listened to Fela all my life and can sing almost a lot of his songs.
Growing up in the 70s, he was our icon. We never thought that he would be alive in our hearts till now
Saw Roy Ayers at the Promontory in Chicago early winter of 2019 and the waiting music before he came on was an entire playlist of Fela, love them both and the amazing art they have made
another fabulous report on some of the best music of all time, created by a real GOAT!
Also shout out to Shrine, my favorite venue, I can't believe I never made the connection between their space and Fela's influence!
This channel is everything that i've been looking for! Loved the content!
Hugs from Brasil
Love this!!! Nice. My stepdad listened to Fela Kuti when I was growing up. I remember Fela's stage presence. I really like Made's modernized smooth style.
This is awesome awesome awesome, thanks to the commenters requesting this and to Sound Field for creating this video.
Davido: Day-Vee-Doh. Fela: Feh-La. But great work regardless. Afrobeat will never die.
I never seen this channel before, I’m so happy it popped up in my feed. I instantly subscribed. Great content. Shared it with my niece. So far I’ve seen and Loved the Jersey club, the Afro beat, and bachata videos. Yes I’m Dominican raised in Brick City Newark NJ. I’ve been fortunate to be introduced to this music because of my mother’s love of music ( I have most of her vinyls from the 60s-80s), and living and working with friends from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Cape Verde, Brazil and Haiti. Thank you for the amazing content.
I'm learning so much about music from these videos! Thank you for making these🙌🙌🙌✨✨
Absolute masterclass.
You sir by far have done the best job on Afrobeats origin videos
PBS and Rewire.... Y'all did a great job on this. I learnt a couple of things and I'm proud of being Nigerian just from how far Fela's music influenced the world
I was today years old when I first heard of this apparent LEGEND! 😮
Im so happy i found this channel! The African Diaspora and all in it that shape the culture of the world are absolutely beautiful!
I've been a Fela fan for many years, and I still learned from this. Great work, thanks!
This channel is amazing, teaching me to be a musicologist before I even knew what that meant. Great video
Damn, we are so lucky to have this channel!! Thank you!
I cannot thank you enough. I enjoyed this and learned so much from this. I had no idea how much he has influenced so many artists across the globe!
I learn more about black culture here than anywhere else 💜 I love this channel
Yesss Fela is part of my extended fam, grandma’s sister’s son or something like that. Glad that people still love his music ❤️
I love music history, bruh this is my new favorite TH-cam channel ❤🖤💚
Live! is such a phenomenal album. Used to just put my headphones in and dance. Could forget everything going on and just get into ti
Been to his shrine in 2017. Amazing experience ❤🇳🇬
Brother thanks for doing this.
You're really stepping it up,
keeping your edge. Great content.
Thank you and keep it on !
Outstanding video. I stumbled across a Femi Kuti video about a year ago and that opened me up to Fela and Afrobeat and it has been an amazing discovery and it's now one of my go to regular playlists. Such amazing music and an amazing story.
From the get go this channel has been producing great content, but lately It's just been amazing, keep up the great work.
Thanks for Picking such a great topic!