Episode #4 - Afrobeat Legacy

In 2011, I saw Seun Kuti and Africa 80 perform at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA. This was one of those shows that changed my life. At the time, I didn't have a lot of information about Seun. I knew he was the son of Fela. I knew that his music was known as Afrobeat. However, I didn't have the deeper context for this music and its origins in Nigeria. Seun Kuti's performance was visceral, righteous and full of funky fury. He played for a club of 300 people. His energy was enough to ignite a crowd of thousands. Seun, along with his brother, Femi, carry on the torch ignited by their father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Their music's purpose it continually shine a light on and raise criticism of the corruption and violence controlling their country. Today's show will focus on Afrobeat, a genre of music championed by Nigerian, Fela Anikulapo Kuti in the late 1960s: Afrobeat. Afrobeat. The improvisational character of jazz. The raunchiness of funk. The flavor and soul of Yoruban tradition and the political fury of punk rock. Today I’ll play cuts from the progenitors of this genre Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor and Orlando Julius. Then, I’ll spin some of my favorites from artists who keep the torch of Afrobeat burning brightly around the globe: Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Antibalas and more. Many of Seun's musicians were a part of Fela Kuti's ensemble, Africa 80. Their sound is a polyrhythmic sledgehammer of furious funk and Yoruban style. Seun stands center-stage with his mighty saxophone.

Seun Kuti at The Belly Up Tavern (Solana Beach, CA) in 2011.