Fela Kuti

The iconic pioneer of afrobeats wasn’t always a musician or an afrobeats artiste. Medicine was his first known book and jazz et highlife was his intro to the music world.

Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì, born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, came from a prominent and politically active family. He attended Abeokuta Grammar School, where he was exposed to both academics and music. As a child, Fela learned to play the piano and led his school choir, showing early musical promise.

In 1958, Fela was sent to London with the expectation that he would study medicine, following the wishes of his family. However, he chose to pursue his passion for music and enrolled at Trinity College of Music. There, he focused on the trumpet, his preferred instrument, and immersed himself in jazz and highlife music. While in London, he formed his first band, Koola Lobitos, blending jazz and highlife styles.

Fela’s musical journey began in earnest in London, where he formed Koola Lobitos and experimented with fusing jazz and highlife. After returning to Nigeria in 1963, he re-formed Koola Lobitos and worked as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He also played with Victor Olaiya and his All-Stars, further honing his craft.

A transformative period came in 1969 when Fela traveled to Los Angeles. There, he was exposed to the Black Power movement, which deeply influenced his worldview and music. He returned to Nigeria with a new sense of purpose, developing Afrobeat—a genre blending West African rhythms with American funk, jazz, and soul, and infusing it with politically charged lyrics. Fela dropped the colonial surname “Ransome” in the 1970s, adopting “Aníkúlápó,” which means “he who carries death in his pouch,” symbolizing his defiance and self-determination.

He declared his communal compound, the Kalakuta Republic, independent from the Nigerian state, which led to repeated violent raids by authorities. In 1977, Fela Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic—a sanctuary for artists and activists—was brutally attacked by Nigerian soldiers. Over 1,000 troops stormed the compound, beating residents, destroying property, and throwing Fela’s 77-year-old mother from a window, leading to her death.

Despite this, Fela’s spirit remained unbroken. In 1978, Fela famously married 27 women—mostly his dancers and singers—in a single ceremony, both as a personal statement and to protect them from government harassment. He transformed his pain into powerful music, releasing the album Zombie as a scathing critique of military oppression. His resilience turned personal tragedy into a rallying cry for justice.