FELA KUTI

Birth Name: Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome Kuti

Known as: Fela Anikuapo Kuti , Fela Ransome Kuti

Born: 15 October 1938

Died: 2 August 1997

Aged: 58 years

Genres: afrobeat

Occupation: Singer,songwriter,instrumentalist,activist

Instruments: Saxophone,Vocals,Keyboards,Trumpet,Guiter,Drums

Active years: 1958-1997

  Fela Kuti was born in Abeokuta,Ogun state,Nigeria. His mother Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist activist,his father Reverend Isreal Oladotun Ransome Kuti,a Protestant minister and school principal,Rev Isreal Oladotun Ransome Kuti was the first president of Nigeria union of teachers.

  Fela was sent to London to study Medicine but he decided to study music at Trinity collage of music,there he learned a style of music he called Afrobeat.Afrobeat is a type of music that has the compination of Africa jazz,funk with highlife.
  In 1977, Fela and Afrika 70 (his band) released the hit track album Zombi to describe the activites of Nigerian Militrary. Fela was severly beaten and his mother thrown out of the window, his studio was also set on fire.
  Despite the set back,he formed a political party which he called Movement Of The People in 1979,he wanted to be elected as president of Nigeria.

  In 1984,he was again attacked by the military goverment,who jailed him on a dubious charge of currency smugling,he was released 20 months later by Gen Ibrahim Babangida.

  On 3 August 1997,Olikoye Ransome Kuti,already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of health,stunned the nation by announcing his younger brothers death a day earlier. for more info click