Late Legendary Singer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti Obtained Certificate Of Recognition

Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti

Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the originator and creator of Afro-Beat music genre will be forever remembered in our heart for his effort on putting African music in global map.

As the legacy he (Fela) left behind is recognized and remembered, the US Congress has issued a certificate of Congressional Recognition to him in appreciation of the great contributions he made to music in the world.

His son, Seun Kuti who received this certificate of recognition on his behalf shared a photo of this certificate on his Facebook wall.

The certificate of recognition

Fela Kuti, born on 15^th of October 1938 and died on 2^nd of August 1997, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre, human rights activist, and political maverick.

The musical style of Fela is called afrobeat, a style he largely created, which is a complex fusion of Jazz, Funk, Ghanaian/Nigerian High-life, psychedelic rock, and traditional West African chants and rhythms.

 Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native “tinker pan” African-style percussion that Kuti acquired while studying in Ghana with Hugh Masekela, under the uncanny Hedzoleh Soundz. The importance of the input of Tony Allen (Fela’s drummer of twenty years) in the creation of Afrobeat cannot be overstated. Fela once famously stated that “without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat”.

Afrobeat is characterized by a fairly large band with many instruments, vocals, and a musical structure featuring jazzy, funky horn sections. A riff-based “endless groove” is used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted West African-style guitar, and melodic bass guitar riffs are repeated throughout the song. Commonly, interlocking melodic riffs and rhythms are introduced one by one, building the groove bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer. The horn section then becomes prominent, introducing other riffs and main melodic themes.

Fela on Sax

Fela’s band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups were using only one of these instruments. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in Funk and Hip hop. Fela’s bands at times even performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands are paramount, but are used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff, or groove.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the “On-the-Ground” Spiritual Game. Fela attempted making a movie but lost all the materials to the fire that was set to his house by the military government in power.

His son’s Femi and Seun Kuti have redefined the Afro-Beat genre of music to the modern day without forgetting the root of the music.