Being born of greatness can have its ups and downs. Like the sons of Marley and Dylan, following in the footsteps of their fathers, individuals who not only defined a genre but left a significant mark on the world, was certainly a daunting task. For Femi Kuti, as the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, he was always a star in the making. Adopting his father’s musical style and activist mentality was inevitable and today, he stands in his father’s wake as one of the world’s most renowned afrobeat artists. With 9 critically acclaimed albums and 4 Grammy nominations under his belt, as well as a 10th studio album on the way, the Festival of Voice is about to welcome him to Cardiff, for a night of funk-infused rhythm and African vigour at its purest.
“My father once asked me what I wanted to do. Naturally, I said ‘music”.
Femi began his musical career playing saxophone and piano in his father’s band, Egypt 80, often playing at his legendary club, The Shrine, on the outskirts of Lagos. He fast became a master of his father’s style, leading the band when his Dad was apprehended by Nigerian authorities and stepping up to write himself after his father’s death. Although Afrobeat, a genre of his father’s own orchestration, which blended West African rhythm with the funk and jazz of America, was the soundtrack of his childhood, his first love as a musician was jazz.
“My father insisted that I listened to jazz. At the time I felt it was very difficult to acclimatize to, so busy in my ears, like a difficult mathematical problem to solve. But when he introduced me to James Moody, to a milder jazz, this was the beginning of my intoxication with jazz music”.
As a sax player myself, Femi’s infatuation with jazz was familiar to me, and it warmed me to hear him recall the first time he played a jazz record, of being lost in ‘a completely different frequency’, and of yearning to be able to play like the greats that inspired him to want to be a better musician. “
“I knew I could never be Charlie Parker or Dizzy Gillespie; I could never be my father – but I could be Femi Kuti. I would have my pain, have my good times, my bad times, I would live my own life. And through listening to jazz and believing in this theory, it really helped me become who i am today.”
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This is the magic of Femi. He doesn’t boast to be the best, nor does he claim to be better than his father. He knows where he stands and loves what he does. He sings with purpose, with an understanding of the importance and power of talent.
“I sing about things that bother me. In Nigeria, we have no constant electricity – this bothers me. The justice system doesn’t work – this bothers me. The healthcare doesn’t work – this bothers me. I’ve been able to travel the world with my music, I’ve seen other countries, and they all have problems but they are not comparable to war-torn areas like the problems we face in Africa.
I believe I have a gift, and so I use it for this purpose, because this purpose hurts me and my life is involved in social issues that affect me, affect my children, affect my friends, affect Africa and even affect the world. I don’t see a story that is more important than the future of my children. So I sing about this.”
Nigeria and the suffering of his people are prominent in Femi’s music. Born in London, he moved almost right away to Lagos in Nigeria. Poverty, injustice and corruption have influenced his life and those around him like we in Wales can’t imagine. Like his father, he sings as an African that’s had enough.
His music exists as an extension of his father’s legacy, which clearly boasts the charm and vibrancy of Africa, of Nigeria, and of Lagos. “I love music, I love festivals, I love being on stage. I’m there to give my audience a great time and show the beauty of Africa through music.”
Supported by Mbongwana Star, an innovative Congolese band on the rise, you’d be a fool to miss this tonic for slumbering feat and frowning faces. St David’s hall will be transformed on the 9th of June with a double dose of Africa at its finest.
Festival of Voice: Femi Kuti & The Positive Force and Mbongwana Star, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Thurs 9 June. Tickets: £15-£25. Info: 029 2087 8444 / www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
words DYLAN JENKINS