Fela Kuti

Afrobeat!!! Ever heard of this genre of music? Well I'm sure you haven't unless you are the kind of person who is deeply involved into music or are a fan of African music in general. Well, I usually don't like classifying music into genres as most people do and then go around saying that this track is more of a downtempo or blurry pop. Not my style at all.I mean, music is just music and classification of music into this or that genre just like with anything for that matter makes no sense. But when it comes to presenting the wonderful human and musician that is Fela Kuti there is no other word that comes in mind other than "Afrobeat". Not so sure that he was the founder of this music genre, but he sure is one of the most vivid representatives of African music. In fact when we say music and Africa, there are a few names that really stand out; Manu Dibango, Alpha Blondy, Lucky Dube (a bit later about him) and so on. Well, think it's high time you join Fela to this list.

When it comes to talking about Fela the main thing that we should all keep in mind is that he was a rebel and political maverick. Not the kind of rebel like Manu Chao (a bit later about him), who is a bit more of a hippie than a rebel, but a rebel like Bob Marley was. A liberator and freedom fighter who didn't hesitate to criticise the government in its most repressive times. A key figure of the African struggle for freedom and battle against the "white man". Yes, I know that it may be a bit awkward to praise African rebellion these days, especially when you consider the fact that it is dying out completely. Nevertheless, Fela and his counterparts are really a phenomenon that Africa lacks drastically. In the sense that Africans are in such a lost and confused state right now, that there is a real need for leaders, a thing that we won't see happening in the nearest future, hence a nostalgic mood regarding Fela.

This is the man that formed "The Kalakuta Republic", a commune that was basically composed from the entire entourage of his band. He even at some point declared this commune independent from the state of Nigeria. Not a sect! An independent community, with their own ideals, points of views and so on. I mean, you would hardly ever see such charismatic leaders stand up today and try to tear off from conformism and so on. Well, at least if they do, they will probably be called terrorists and so on. It actually looks like the world is going into a herd-like mentality which I simply call Crazy People (have a read of that, it's quite informative) and there is no way to fight it. Everyone is about buying stuff they don't need with money they don't have. Looks like there is no alternative to this cycle of vice and stupidity. And the few attempts made by earlier leaders like Bob Marley, John Lennon, Fela Kuti are really a thing of the past. A sad reality will all have to admit. Nevertheless, their legacy goes on and this is a small compromise to acknowledge. So, if you guys are in search of inspiration regarding peace in the world and a way of escaping "Babylon" there is no better way to start than to indulge into the wonderfully amazing music of Fela.