Fela Kuti.

Fela Kuti entered the world on 15 October 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, to activist mother Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and Protestant minister father Israel Olutodun Ransome Kuti. He attended Abeokuta Grammar School before being sent to London to study medicine, but he chose to pursue music at Trinity College of Music instead. His upbringing in a politically active family, with siblings Olikoye and Beko both becoming prominent doctors and activists, steered him toward a militant approach to music and social change.

Fela Kuti’s music career accelerated after he formed his band Koola Lobitos in the 1960s, later renaming it Africa ’70. He invented Afrobeat, a blend of highlife, jazz, funk, and traditional Yoruba rhythms. His 1971 album ‘Fela’s London Scene’ and the 1975 classic Expensive Shit showcased his confrontational style. In 1977, he released Zombie, a scathing critique of the Nigerian military, which led to a brutal government attack on his commune, the Kalakuta Republic. Despite persecution, he continued to release politically charged albums and founded his own political party, Movement of the People, in 1979. He also appeared in documentaries like Music Is the Weapon 1982 and posthumous archival films like Finding Fela 2014.

Fela Kuti married as many as 27 women at once, a practice he defended as part of his African identity. He had many children, including two who followed his musical path: Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti. Polygamy and his commune lifestyle at the Kalakuta Republic in Lagos defined his personal life. Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X ghostwritten by Alex Haley exposed him to Malcolm X’s teachings. He died on 2 August 1997 from heart failure related to AIDS, a condition he long denied having.

Fela Kuti’s invention of Afrobeat has influenced countless musicians worldwide, from Paul McCartney to Beyoncé, who sampled his track Zombie on her 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift. His music remains a staple in film and television, used in movies like Queen & Slim 2019 and The Harder They Fall 2021. He became the first African musician inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026, recognizing his global impact. He also posthumously received the All African Music Legend Award. Fela’s legacy endures through his sons Femi and Seun, who carry on his Afrobeat tradition, and through the annual Felabration festival in Lagos.