Artist Playlists
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In the late '60s, Fela Kuti was a young musician playing in highlife bands around the Nigerian capital city of Lagos. Adding the rhythms of funk and jazz to the mix, Kuti created Afrobeat, an endless and fiery groove that made him one of the most popular musicians in Africa. He was also the most controversial artists of his era, attacking the corrupt Nigerian government in his lyrics and routinely facing violent harassment from the police. Both a musical innovator and a crusader for social justice, Kuti released dozens of fiercely political and passionately funky albums until his death in 1997. - The passion in Fela Kuti's music left a lasting impression on generations of African musicians. Fellow Nigerian Wizkid updates the Afrobeat icon's celebratory energy and joyous charisma with Auto-Tuned vocals and dancehall rhythms. Meanwhile, Ghanaian highlife veteran Ebo Taylor pushes boundaries with his intricate guitar work and melodic nuance.
- A recipe for Afrobeat: Just throw James Brown's funky "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," Bobby Benson's Nigerian highlife classic "Taxi Driver," and Dizzy Gillespie's swinging "Manteca" into a slow cooker, add traditional African rhythms and Malcolm X's self-love message "You Can't Hate the Roots of a Tree and Not Hate the Tree," and step away.
- Prior to inventing Afrobeat, Fela was a sax-swinging bandleader who mixed jazz and highlife in tunes like "Everyday I Got My Blues." He later collaborated with other funky musicians, such as vibraphonist Roy Ayers, who brings his ringing sound to "Africa Centre of the World." Fela also lets his experimental roots show in "Dog Eat Dog," a rare extended instrumental.