Fela Kuti

Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì Yoruba fɛlá āníkúlákpó kútì born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun RansomeKuti 15 October 1938 2 August 1997 was a Nigerian musician and political activist He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz At the height of his popularity he was referred to as one of Africas most challenging and charismatic music performers AllMusic described him as a musical and sociopolitical voice of international significance Kuti was the son of Nigerian womens rights activist Funmilayo RansomeKuti After early experiences abroad he and his band Africa 70 featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s during which Kuti was an outspoken critic and target of Nigerias military juntas In 1970 he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune which declared itself independent from military rule The commune was destroyed in a 1978 army raid that injured Kuti and his mother the latter fatally He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984 but released after 20 months Kuti continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s Since his death in 1997 reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son Femi Kuti Description above from the Wikipedia article Fela Kuti licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia