Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti Biography / Profile

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti known popularly as Femi Kuti is the eldest son of late Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Remilekun Ransome-Kuti. He was born on June 16, 1962 in London and raised in Lagos. He is from Abeokuta in Ogun State.

Femi Kuti Age

Femi Kuti is 62 years old.

Femi Kuti Early Life

Femi started playing the saxophone at age 15 before he became a member of his father’s band. He started out listening to Jazz which he hated in the beginning

He was withdrawn from Secondary school by his father who was against Western education at the time and so he never really had any formal education.

During a Nigerian army raid on Fela's home, Femi's mother died after falling from a window—a tragedy he has laid at the feet of Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.

Femi Kuti Career

In 1984, he stepped in to lead Fela's Egypt 80 band and run his Shrine club in Lagos after Fela ran afoul of the government. At a Hollywood Bowl concert the following year, after Fela was taken into custody at the Lagos airport on the way to the concert, Kuti presented a reasonable facsimile of his father's performing style.

In 1986 however he formed his own band 'Positive Force' turning down the position of heir to his father's band much to Fela's chargin. He was joined by his sisters, Yeni and Sola, who were lead dancers, giving up cigarettes and marijuana, both of which his father, Fela indulged in heavily, making himself out to be an independent artist, different from his father. His first album, 'No Cause for Alarm' in 1989 featured his Jazz-style saxophone which was played and recorded under Polygraph records and brought him fans from France, where he remains popular. This was followed by 'MYOB' in 1991 from Kalakuta Records. In 1994 he recorded an album, 'Femi Kuti' for the now defunct Motown label.

Femi Kuti toured Europe in 1996 and 1997, and in 1998, he formed a student-oriented political group called M.A.S.S —Movement Against Second Slavery aimed at promoting pan-African culture.

In 1997, his father died from AIDS related complications followed closely by sister, Sola who was a member of his band 'Positive Force' leading him to release '97', a song that candidly reflects on this particularly tragic time. He signed a major record label deal with Polygram in December 1997, only months after his father's death.

His album Shoki Shoki which was released in the United States on the MCA label in 1999, was his big international breakthrough attracting the attention of hip-hop and dance remix artists, including Lauryn Hill and Ahmir Thompson of the Roots.

In 2000, he opened 'The Shrine', his club, where he recorded the live album 'Africa Shrine' and which is the venue for the annual celebration of Fela, Felabration a hangar-like venue named after the nightclub that was founded by his late father in 1970.

Femi Kuti's attempt to modernize Afrobeat continued on his second MCA album, 'Fight to Win', released in late 2001 featuring rappers like Mos Def and Common, and showing the results of Femi's effort to incorporate hip-hop into African music. He went touring the United States with Jane’s Addiction in thesame year.

In 2008, he re-emerged with his first album in seven years, 'Day by Day', a definitive album that helped to establish Femi as a true original with his own unique style; it was nominated for two Grammy awards and in 2012, he was inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame and was the opening act on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ European Tour.

In 2013, he released another album 'No place for my dreams' which got him another Grammy Award nomination.

On May 15, 2017 Kuti broke the Guinness world record for a single held note on a saxophone - 51 minutes and 35 seconds using the circular breathing technique which involved cycling breath in and out simultaneously.

He collaborated with Nigerian artist, Wiz Kid on the hit track ‘JaiyeJaiye’.

On February 23, 2018, Femi Kuti released his 10th album titled 'One People, One World' via his record label, Knitting Records.

He became an ambassador for Amnesty International in 2012. He was a judge on Nigeria's huge TV show, Nigeria Idol Season 3

Femi Kuti Personal Life

He was never christened 'Femi' as his first name was actually 'Olufela' but his mother changed his name to Femi so he would not to be stuck in the shadow of Fela.

Femi stated in an interview that he really hated his father for putting him out there and leaving him to find his way in the music industry without formal training and this is what he said inspired him to give his own son 'Made' the formal training he never got from his own father.

He has six children from five different women and was married to Funke Kuti who he divorced in 2011.

He plays the saxophone, the keyboard and the trumpet.

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