Fela Kuti
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Fela Anikulapo Ransome Kuti (Abeokuta, 1938 — 1997) foi um músico nigeriano.
Fela Kuti nasceu em Abeokuta, Nigéria em uma familía de clsse média. Sua mãe, Funmilayo ransome - Kuti, foi uma feminista ativaem um movimento ant - colonial, e seu pai, Reverendo Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, foi o primeiro presidente da União Nigeriana de Professores. Ele mudou-se para Londres em 19858 com a intenção de estudar medicina, mas ele decidiu estudar música em um lugar na "Trinity College of music". Enquanto lá, ele formou a banda "Koola Lobitos, tocando um estilo de música Fela chamou de "Afrobeat". O estilo era uma mistura de Jazz Americano com "West African highlife". Em 1961 Fela casou-se com sua primeira esposa, Remilekum (Remi) Taylor com quem ele teria três filhos (Femi, Yeni and Sola). Em 1963 Fela mudou-se de volta para a Nigéria, formou o "Koola Lobitos" e trabalhou como produtor de rádio para "Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation". Em 1969 Fela levou a banda para os Estados Unidos, enquanto á Fela descobriu, o movimento "Black power" atráves de Sandra Izsadore uma amiga do "Black Panther Party" qual ele teria uma alta influência em suas musicas e em suas visões politícas e renomou a banda para "Nigéria 70". Logo, o serviço de imigração e a naturalização foram retirados de Fela e sua banda
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Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service were tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the US without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles, which would later be released as "The '69 Los Angeles Sessions".
Fela and his band, renamed "Africa '70" returned to Nigeria. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio and a home for many connected to the band which he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to "Anikulapo" (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. In 1974 the police arrived with a search warrant and a cannabis joint, which they had intended to plant on Fela. He became wise to this and swallowed the joint. In response, the police took him into custody and waited to examine his feces. Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and gave the police someone else's feces, and Fela was freed. He then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit.
