Femi Kuti

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      Femi Kuti
      Femi-Kuti.jpg
      Kuti performing 10 November 2008
      Photo: Carlos Fernández San Millán
      Background information
      Birth name Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti
      Born (1962-06-16) June 16, 1962 (age 51)
      Origin London, UK/Nigeria
      Genres Afrobeat, jazz
      Occupations Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist
      Instruments Saxophone, vocals, trumpet, keyboards
      Years active 1978–present
      Associated acts Egypt 80, Positive Force
      Website www.femikuti.tv
      Past members
      Music sample
      Sorry Sorry
      Performance at Warszawa Cross Culture Festival - 25 September 2011

      Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962), popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician and the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.[1]

      Biography

      Femi was born in London to Fela and Remi Kuti and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, however, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi eventually became a member of his father's band.

      Like his father, Femi has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes throughout his career.

      He created his own band Positive Force in the late 1980s with Dele Sosimi (Gbedu Resurrection), former key-board player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at the Festival d'Angoulême (France), the New Morning Club in Paris and the Moers Festival in Germany.

      In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of U.S. musicians, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright.

      In 2002, Femi's mother, who had played an influential role in Femi's life, died at the age of 60. Femi's son currently appears as part of his act, playing alto saxophone.

      Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song, "Water No Get Enemy", to Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by the Red Hot Organization and MCA. His track was created in collaboration with hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo, Macy Gray, The Soultronics, Nile Rodgers, and Roy Hargrove, and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.

      Femi Kuti's voice is featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV, where he is the host of radio station IF 99 (International Funk 99, described as "playing a great selection of classics from West Africa, the US and elsewhere").

      In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry".[2]

      Femi has been nominated for a Grammy award three times in the world music category in 2003, 2010 and 2012 but has never won.[3]

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      Discography

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      See also

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      References

      1. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography: Femi Kuti". AMG. Retrieved 9 May 2010. 
      2. ^ Okechukwu Jones Asuzu (2006). The Politics of Being Nigerian. Lulu.com. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-4116-1956-2. 
      3. ^ "Breaking news: Femi Kuti Loses Grammy Prize". Nigerian Entertainment Today. February 12, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012. 
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      Last modified on 8 June 2013, at 09:08