http://www.myspace.com/seunkuti

 

The heir to his father’s musical legacy, Seun Kuti is carving out a niche for himself while staying true to the sound forged by one of Africa’s most legendary ensembles, Egypt 80. Born in 1982, Seun is the youngest son of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nigeria’s most beloved musical artist from the 1970’s through 1980’s, known as much for his energetic performances as his social criticism of the country’s military junta.

Seun started learning to play saxophone and piano when he was eight and began performing with his father’s band, Egypt 80, at age nine. Seun grew up with the band, performing on stage with as many as twenty singers and musicians in sessions that often lasted till dawn. When Fela died in 1997, Seun, just fifteen, followed in his father’s footsteps as the band’s lead vocalist and saxophonist, working alongside longtime bandleader Baba Ani. Seun also pursued his musical education beyond the stage, graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2004.

Egypt 80’s signature sound is a blend of funk and jazz with an African sensibility, combining horns, keyboards, percussion, guitars, and vocals in an overpowering, high-energy exchange between a powerhouse of musicians and dancers. In the 1970’s the Egypt 80 performed almost nightly at The Shrine, a club Fela established in Lagos. Most of the band members, including Seun’s mother, who still sings backup, performed with Fela. The band tours regularly throughout Europe and Africa. The group’s self-titled album—the first recorded by Seun Kuti and Egypt 80—was released this year on Mondo Mundo records.

For Seun, taking up where his father left off is about building on Fela’s legacy, not trying to escape it. He has begun composing his own, original music and plans to continue his father’s political activism. Seun says, “I want to make Afrobeat for my generation. Instead of ‘get up and fight,’ it’s going to be ‘get up and think.’”