Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti, born Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, works as a Nigerian Afrobeat artist, saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and activist. As the oldest child of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, he broadened the style through infusions of punk, electro, and hip-hop. Following an extended period in his father's ensemble, he formed Positive Force and delivered their first album, No Cause for Alarm, during 1989. The self-titled release arrived in 1995 on Motown's Tabu label. Upon Fela's death in 1997, Femi assumed the position of leading figure in Afrobeat. Shoki Shoki followed the next year and earned widespread acclaim as his signature recording. He revived his father's club under the name The New Afrika Shrine in 2000 before issuing Fight to Win. Grammy nominations went to 2008's Day by Day, the double-length Africa for Africa in 2010, and 2013's No Place for My Dream. One People One World surfaced in 2018 and entered international charts. Partisan Records, custodian of Fela's catalog, issued Femi's Stop the Hate together with his son Made Kuti's For(e)ward as the combined Legacy + package in February 2021. Variations appeared in 2024, documenting the 2019 live collaboration in France with techno pioneer Robert Hood.

London-born in 1962 to Fela and Remilekun (Remi) Ransome-Kuti yet raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Femi saw his parents separate while he remained a toddler, after which his mother relocated with him. At age 15 in 1977 he elected to reside with his father and took up the saxophone that same year. Studies at Baptist Academy and Igbobi College preceded his entry into Fela's Egypt 80. His initial experience leading a band occurred in 1984 when Fela faced arrest by military personnel at Lagos airport ahead of an Egypt 80 U.S. tour; Femi stepped in as frontman to keep shows intact and delivered a series of warmly received performances, highlighted by an electrifying Hollywood Bowl set with a 40-piece edition of the group.

Positive Force came together in 1986, prompting strong disapproval from his father and a prolonged estrangement. Femi advanced both his musical and activist paths, shifting from Afrobeat's jam-based, jazz-inflected format toward tighter grooves, quicker tempos, trimmed solos, plus synths and drum programming. The French Cultural Centre in Lagos invited him to appear at France's Festival d'Angoulême, The New Morning Club in Paris, and Germany's Moers Festival in 1988. Returning with fresh supporters, he and Positive Force released their Polygram debut No Cause for Alarm in 1989, blending raw funk, soul-jazz, driving polyrhythmic percussion, and incisive yet bleating horns with lyrics of pointed social and political critique that gained airplay across Africa, Europe, and Asia.

The band tracked their next album on tour in France, entering Studio Davout in Paris during July 1990 and completing M.Y.O.B. within ten days. Kalakuta Records issued it in Lagos and the Melodie label released it in Europe during 1991. After reconciling with an ailing Fela, Femi joined Motown's Tabu imprint and put out a self-titled album in 1995, though the label closed soon afterward and ended the contract.

Fela succumbed to AIDS complications in 1997, followed shortly by his sister Sola's death from cancer, drawing sudden widespread focus to Femi. Already signed to MCA, which was reissuing his father's catalog, he had begun demo work with producer Sodi (Sodi Marciszewer) for his label debut. Following a period of mourning, Femi and Positive Force delivered Shoki Shoki in 1999 to international praise; it charted at home, across Europe, and in Asia before receiving a U.S. release, while his ensuing world tour sold out repeatedly.

The New Afrika Shrine reopened in 2000 at the site of Fela's original club, shuttered and burned by officials in 1977; Femi co-managed the venue with his sister, singer and dancer Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti, turning it into a stop for touring acts and a platform for emerging African talent, in addition to hosting the annual Felabration Festival.

Long drawn to hip-hop, Femi sought to connect with its broad listenership and released Fight to Win in 2001 featuring American rappers Jaguar Wright, Mos Def, and Common; the album reached number ten on the World Music album charts. He interpreted his father's "Water No Get Enemy" for the 2002 Red Hot & Riot tribute compilation from the Red Hot Organization and MCA, enlisting D'Angelo, Macy Gray, the Soultronics, Nile Rodgers, and Roy Hargrove, with all proceeds supporting AIDS awareness and treatment charities. Live at the Shrine appeared in 2004 as an audio and video documentary set. Between 2001 and late 2007 Femi Kuti and Positive Force played regularly at The New Afrika Shrine while touring worldwide.

Femi's voice served as host of the fictional IF 99 (International Funk 99) radio station in Grand Theft Auto IV during 2008, the same year Day by Day marked his first studio album in seven years; it climbed the upper European charts, performed strongly in America and Asia, and earned a Grammy nomination. Africa for Africa arrived in 2011, mixing fresh and re-recorded tracks, outselling its predecessor while securing another Grammy nod. The Headies Hall of Fame inducted him in 2012, Nigeria's premier music awards event, and he toured Europe with the Red Hot Chili Peppers while becoming an Amnesty International Ambassador. No Place for My Dream followed in 2013 to strong international DJ support and sold-out shows, marking his third Grammy-nominated album.

On May 15, 2017, Kuti set the Guinness world record for a single saxophone note at 51 minutes and 35 seconds through circular breathing. November brought news of his tenth album, One People One World, launched with a video single of the title track filmed at The Shrine memorial to his father. A second single, "Na Their Way Be That," appeared in late January 2018. Knitting Factory released the full One People One World, recorded primarily in Lagos with Positive Force, in February 2018. Partisan Records issued Legacy + in 2021, pairing Femi's Stop the Hate with Made Kuti's For(e)ward; the multi-instrumentalist son, a longtime Positive Force member, performed every part on his own album. M-Plant brought out audio and video documentation three years later of the 2019 collaborative live set at Charles de Gaulle Airport between Detroit techno pioneer Robert Hood (Underground Resistance) and Kuti, where the pair improvised on funk godfather James Brown's influence.