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100 years of pop music in Nigeria: what shaped four eras

100 years of pop music in Nigeria: what shaped four eras

THE global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2020 shut down nearly all physical and social human activities. For musical practice, this meant near death. Performing music is, after all, one of the oldest forms of social human engagement. In Nigeria, the shutdown of concerts and public music performances was swift. Not even the Nigerian–Biafran War of 1967 to 1970 could shut down all of Nigeria. In fact, popular music activities boomed in Lagos as bombs rained on Biafra. The pandemic was a watershed moment and offers a compelling reason to trace the trajectory and evolution…
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2022 Grammys: what Fela Kuti has to do with West Africa’s growing pop fame

2022 Grammys: what Fela Kuti has to do with West Africa’s growing pop fame

THERE are a record number of African nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards and they are almost all from West Africa – Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Rocky Duwani (Ghana), Femi Kuti, Made Kuti, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Tems (Nigeria). Most of these artists are also proponents of Afrobeat(Femi and Made Kuti, following the musical and political form defined by Fela Kuti) or new breed Afrobeats (Wizkid, Burna Boy and Tems). Kidjo, too, has admitted to being influenced by Fela. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town As with Afrobeat, Afrobeats is music characterised…
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Legendary US group Fugees to tour West Africa

Legendary US group Fugees to tour West Africa

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER READY or not here come the Fugees. The popular American hip-hop group have announced that they will be hitting African shores for a small tour in December, performing in Ghana and Nigeria. The tour will be the Fugees’ first in 15 years, performing in a string of concerts across North America, Europe and West Africa. Wyclef Jean, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel told fans that they will be reuniting after 15 years to celebrate the anniversary of their hit 1996 album The Score, by going on a 12-city global tour, which will see them concluding in…
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Nigerian icon Fela is long overdue for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Nigerian icon Fela is long overdue for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

SCROLLING through the comments made on YouTube on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s music, one comes across remarks such as: “The greatest unknown musician who ever lived”, “Why isn’t Fela’s music more widely known?”, “His music beats everything I’ve ever heard before” and “Why am I so late to this?” SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town The truth is that during Fela’s extraordinary lifetime, the Nigerian’s notoriety as an engaged citizen fighting for social justice was what usually attracted attention – and not his music. His public persona as a cultural renegade, an incorrigible iconoclast…
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The quest to identify Fela’s successor: why it’s time to end it

The quest to identify Fela’s successor: why it’s time to end it

IT'S nearly a quarter of a century since Fela Kuti passed away. Yet, the influence of his music and pan-Africanist thoughts hasn’t stopped. Fela was notorious for the deployment of his Afrobeat as a critical tool against human rights violations, social injustice and insensitive cum inept leadership in Africa. And the conversation as to who best fits the profile of a successor has continued unabated. GARHE OSIEBE, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Rhodes University Many Nigerian artists have gone as far as naming themselves as the reincarnation of Fela. From Dede Mabiaku’s endless references to his closeness to the Abami Eda –…
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Fela Kuti, Jay-Z among Hall of Fame nominees

Fela Kuti, Jay-Z among Hall of Fame nominees

LEGENDARY Nigerian musician, the late Fela Kuti, rapper Jay-Z, 1980s pop group The Go-Gos and rock band Foo Fighters were among first-time nominees announced yesterday for possible induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Others on the ballot for the first time include singer-songwriter Carole King, singer-actress Dionne Warwick and heavy metal group Iron Maiden. American rapper JAY-Z backstage on his On The Run II tour in 2018. Picture: Instagram/lavitaraynor The 16 contenders also included previous nominees Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Devo, LL Cool J and Todd Rundgren. Performers become eligible 25 years after their first commercial…
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Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

THE failure of Nigeria’s current pop stars to identify with the country’s oppressed has inspired feelings of nostalgia about the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. For much of his life, Kuti’s activism was the nemesis of the country’s military dictatorship and corrupt politicians. FLORENCE NWEKE, University of Lagos Famous for pairing his music with human rights activism Fela, who passed in 1997, stood against Nigeria’s military dictators, often at great personal cost to his family and band members. The apathy of Nigeria’s current crop of pop stars can be seen in the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality led by…
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The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop

The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop

GARHE OSIEBE, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Rhodes University DECADES after his death, Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s most famous musician continues to live on through his art. Afrobeat, a genre he pioneered, has transcended generations after him, existing in varying forms. Contemporary African pop stars are sampling his work in new records. Much of that music is called ‘Afrobeats’ today, (the ‘s’ is important) A new genre, partly inspired by Fela’s work. It’s the current flavour of Lagos, and the rest of the continent, where Nigerian pop music maintains a strong presence. But how do these musicians portray this legend in their work?…
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