File:Fela_Kuti_circa_1986.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Fela Kuti
Sign in to saveAlso known as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Fela, Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, Abami Eda, Fela Kuti & Afrika 70, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Abàmì Ẹ̀dá
Nigerian musician and activist (1938–1997)
OverviewAI-generated
Fela Kuti (1938–1997) was a Nigerian saxophonist, bandleader, singer-songwriter, and conductor. Born in Abeokuta, he was of Yoruba ethnicity and the son of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Israel Olutodun Ransome-Kuti. He received education at Abeokuta Grammar School and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Kuti performed on the saxophone, trumpet, and electric guitar, and sang in English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin.
His musical output included works such as *Confusion*, *Mr. Follow follow*, and *Shuffering and shmiling*. He recorded for the labels Barclay, JVC, and EMI. The genres associated with his music include jazz, highlife, Afrobeat, jùjú, and funk. Kuti was identified as a prisoner of conscience. He died of natural causes in Lagos. His children are Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti, and his siblings include Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and Beko Ransome-Kuti.
Synthesized by Vinony from 41 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Europeana Sparql, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Works
- 3
Top works
- Confusion
- Mr. Follow follow
- Shuffering and shmiling
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Abeokuta, British Nigeria
Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (Yoruba: [fɛ̄lá āníkúlák͡pó kútì]; born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most…
Known for
- Happy in the Gap — Self (archive footage)2020
- Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat — Self (archive footage)2020
- Africa Rising — Self - Musician (archive footage)2019
- My Friend Fela — Self (archive footage)2019
- Finding Fela — Self (archive footage)2014
- Fela In Concert — Self2001
- Un siècle d'écrivains1995
- Paris Black Night — Lui même1990
- Fela Kuti: Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense — Self1984
- Fela Kuti: Live at Glastonbury 1984 — Self1984
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Origin
- Nigeria
- Active from
- 1938
- Active to
- 1997
Discography
Member of
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 482,598
- Total plays
- 7,304,591
Tags
Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997 ), known professionally as Fela Kuti, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, or simply Fela, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, political maverick & leader of Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa 70. HMV Magazine ranked him as #46 on a list of the 100 most influential musicians of the 20th century. The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat <a href="https:/
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
- A Unique Microglia Type Associated with Restricting Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
· 2017 · cited 5,033x
- Microglia development follows a stepwise program to regulate brain homeostasis
· 2016 · cited 1,118x
- Individualised antibiotic dosing for patients who are critically ill: challenges and potential solutions
· 2014 · cited 918x
- Aging-induced type I interferon response at the choroid plexus negatively affects brain function
· 2014 · cited 566x
- Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990–2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
· 2023 · cited 520x
via Crossref · CC0
Key facts
- Born
- Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti , ( 1938-10-15 ) 15 October 1938, Abeokuta , British Nigeria
- Died
- 2 August 1997 (1997-08-02) (aged 58), Lagos , Lagos State, Nigeria
- Occupations
- Musician bandleader political activist
- Years active
- 1958–1997
- Notable work
- Discography
- Children
- Yeni Kuti (daughter), Femi Kuti (son), Seun Kuti (son)
- Parents
- Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (father) Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (mother)
- Family
- Ransome-Kuti family , Lijadu Sisters (cousins) , Made Kuti (grandson) Wole Soyinka (cousin)
- Origin
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Genres
- Afrobeat
- Instruments
- Vocals keyboards saxophone trumpet guitar drums
- Labels
- Barclay / PolyGram MCA / Universal Celluloid EMI Nigeria Jofabro Nigeria JVC Wrasse Shanachie Knitting Factory
- Website
- felakuti .com
via Wikipedia infobox
Works in European collections
1 object attributed to Fela Kuti, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
~36 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì ( Yoruba: [fɛ̄lá āníkúlák͡pó kútì] born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers". AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.
Kuti was the son of Nigerian women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa '70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which Kuti was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria's military juntas. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. The commune was destroyed in a 1977 army raid that injured Kuti and killed his mother. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. Kuti continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Fela Kuti” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.