Seun Kuti comes of age

As I arrived at the City Hotel lobby, I was directed to the lounge clustered with men watching an Arsenal vs Middlesbrough football match. Across the room was the young Afrobeat musician sitting on a bar stool. Like the others, he was focussed on the television screen.

This young rising star, as he has aptly been described, was Seun Kuti—dressed in graffiti jeans, Ed Hardy T-Shirt,a baseball cap, and a chinchilla coat. Not the typical ensemble we would expect from an Afrobeat star. I would later discover that he has a fascination for the urban African-American style.

On our way to his hotel room, I asked how his tour was going. “London is pretty much the last [leg] of our tour, but aside from this crappy hotel, everything has been really good so far.”

Crappy hotels aside, you could see his love for the work in his eyes. Seun had lunch with British comedians Frank Skinner and Bill Bailey the day before; he also performed at the Nobel Prize party on the same stage graced by the legendary Diana Ross. With a twinkle of nostalgia, he said of Ross, “She played my favourite love song of all time: ‘Baby love, ma baby love.’”

Born Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti on January 11, 1983, to Afrobeat pioneer, activist and rebel, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, music is both a personal and professional experience for Seun. Though relatively a newcomer to the world stage, he has been playing with his father’s band since the age of eight. The seven-track album, Many Things, is the first release from Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, Fela’s band. “I don’t mean to blow my own horn but this is the best album out of Africa in 20 years. I am not even going to mince words.”

The only pressure he feels when making music with the band is when he thinks of his late father’s high standards and perfectionism. “This band is the biggest for me in Africa, with both the history they have had and the recordings they have done. So it’s just for me to keep the standards up there, but we are taking it all in our stride.”

Being the son of one of Nigeria’s greatest cultural exports and revolutionary heroes, Seun’s childhood was anything but ordinary. He was raised in Kalakuta Republic, the rebel style commune that once thrived in the heart of Lagos.

“Kalakuta was like a society within a society. We used to have people from all over the world live in our house. There were thirteen rooms in the house and my father believed that all he needed was three rooms for him and his family and all the other rooms were open to anybody. All you needed to do was tell my father your name and you could stay in our house. So for me it was a good learning experience.”

We discussed Fela’s nonconformist style of parenting; his children called him by his first name. I told Seun it seemed like Kalakuta had an exaggerated sense of freedom.

“Fela literally gave us an exaggerated sense of freedom,” Seun said. “We had the freedom to say what was on our minds. I [have] been cursing all my life; my mother did not like it though. We even had freedom of movement. From when we were seven-years-old, no matter what we did we had to be back home at 6am in the morning.” The musician insists that this upbringing made him realise that everyone is an important person in their own right. However, even in this hippy commune there was still one unbreakable rule: you could not do unto others what you did not want others to do unto you. Seun still holds this very dear to his heart.

Just over three years ago, the musician was involved in an Anti-Malaria Campaign organised by Youssou N’Dour and the United Nations. Seun wrote a song for the project. “It’s a shame to see that a disease that costs three dollars to cure is still killing us in Africa. For me, whatever cause will help my people, I will always grant my music to that,” he said. But Seun harbours some cynicism when it comes to celebrities and their methods of philanthropy.

“I feel that giving should be selfless. There are lots of things I do but I don’t need to publicise it. I don’t believe in creating a reality TV show when you go to Africa to [provide] pipe-borne water. You don’t need to take a whole world of cameras there to see what you are doing. That is not giving; that is investing. When you give, you give without cameras.”

There is no denying that the Kuti aesthetic flows in Seun’s veins. “My father is a big influence on my music, that goes without saying. I also believe in what [he] stood for. Even if I wasn’t his son, I believe as an Afrobeat artist, this is what I want to do, because my society needs this voice.”

I vividly remember a skit on one of my Fela collections in which he declared that it is impossible to be an African making music without being political. The late environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, had similar views about writing. Seun, for his part, is disappointed with African artists of his generation who are busy striving to be the next Jay Z.

“I feel like they are ignorant,” he said. Afrobeat was created for the emancipation of the black race. It was created to give this voice. I feel that if other artists don’t want to be crazy like us (because they call us crazy sometimes), they should at least invest a song or two on their album to talk about what is going on.” He added that, aside from the corrupt politicians who gain free access to airtime on international news stations, the only other people who are given a voice are artistes during interviews. Thus we all have a responsibility.

It goes without saying that his formative years in Kalakuta instilled in Seun Kuti a strong sense of self and voice. The fruit does not fall far from the tree—as the saying goes—but this rising star seems to be carving his own destiny.

When it comes to Afrobeat, Seun remains a puritan at heart. “Afrobeat is the future. Even when it was created, it was ahead of its time.”

There is still one lesson that his father instilled in him till this very day, which he says is the equality of all men. “In Africa, they actually treat people as second class and third class human beings not even citizens. Money cannot be what makes a man greater than another man. In Nigeria today, honour is seen as stupidity. The poorer you are, the less important you are. This has to change.”

Wana Udobang is a radio presenter and producer on Inspiration FM.

As I arrived at the City Hotel lobby, I was directed to the lounge clustered with men watching an Arsenal vs Middlesbrough football match.

Across the room was the young Afrobeat musician sitting on a bar stool. Like the others, he was focussed on the television screen. This young rising star, as he has aptly been described, was Seun Kuti-dressed in graffiti jeans, Ed Hardy T-Shirt,a baseball cap, and a chinchilla coat. Not the typical ensemble we would expect from an Afrobeat star. I would later discover that he has a fascination for the urban African-American style.

On our way to his hotel room, I asked how his tour was going. “London is pretty much the last [leg] of our tour, but aside from this crappy hotel, everything has been really good so far.”

Crappy hotels aside, you could see his love for the work in his eyes. Seun had lunch with British comedians Frank Skinner and Bill Bailey the day before; he also performed at the Nobel Prize party on the same stage graced by the legendary Diana Ross. With a twinkle of nostalgia, he said of Ross, “She played my favourite love song of all time: ‘Baby love, ma baby love.’”

Born Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti on January 11, 1983, to Afrobeat pioneer, activist and rebel, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, music is both a personal and professional experience for Seun. Though relatively a newcomer to the world stage, he has been playing with his father’s band since the age of eight.

The seven-track album, Many Things, is the first release from Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, Fela’s band. “I don’t mean to blow my own horn but this is the best album out of Africa in 20 years. I am not even going to mince words.”

The only pressure he feels when making music with the band is when he thinks of his late father’s high standards and perfectionism. “This band is the biggest for me in Africa, with both the history they have had and the recordings they have done. So it’s just for me to keep the standards up there, but we are taking it all in our stride.”

Being the son of one of Nigeria’s greatest cultural exports and revolutionary heroes, Seun’s childhood was anything but ordinary. He was raised in Kalakuta Republic, the rebel style commune that once thrived in the heart ofLagos.

“Kalakuta was like a society within a society. We used to have people from all over the world live in our house. There were thirteen rooms in the house and my father believed that all he needed was three rooms for him and his family and all the other rooms were open to anybody. All you needed to do was tell my father your name and you could stay in our house. So for me it was a good learning experience.”

We discussed Fela’s nonconformist style of parenting; his children called him by his first name. I told Seun it seemed like Kalakuta had an exaggerated sense of freedom.

“Fela literally gave us an exaggerated sense of freedom,” Seun said. “We had the freedom to say what was on our minds. I [have] been cursing all my life; my mother did not like it though. We even had freedom of movement.

From when we were seven-years-old, no matter what we did we had to be back home at 6am in the morning.” The musician insists that this upbringing made him realise that everyone is an important person in their own right. However, even in this hippy commune there was still one unbreakable rule: you could not do unto others what you did not want others to do unto you. Seun still holds this very dear to his heart.

Just over three years ago, the musician was involved in an Anti-Malaria Campaign organised by Youssou N’Dour and the United Nations. Seun wrote a song for the project. “It’s a shame to see that a disease that costs three dollars to cure is still killing us in Africa. For me, whatever cause will help my people, I will always grant my music to that,” he said. But Seun harbours some cynicism when it comes to celebrities and their methods of philanthropy.

“I feel that giving should be selfless. There are lots of things I do but I don’t need to publicise it. I don’t believe in creating a reality TV show when you go to Africa to [provide] pipe-borne water. You don’t need to take a whole world of cameras there to see what you are doing. That is notgiving; that is investing. When you give, you give without cameras.”

There is no denying that the Kuti aesthetic flows in Seun’s veins. “My father is a big influence on my music, that goes without saying. I also believe in what [he] stood for. Even if I wasn’t his son, I believe as an Afrobeat artist, this is what I want to do, because my society needs this voice.”

I vividly remember a skit on one of my Fela collections in which he declared that it is impossible to be an African making music without being political. The late environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, had similar views about writing. Seun, for his part, is disappointed with African artists of his generation who are busy striving to be the next Jay Z.

“I feel like they are ignorant,” he said. Afrobeat was created for the emancipation of the black race. It was created to give this voice. I feel that if other artists don’t want to be crazy like us (because they call us crazy sometimes), they should at least invest a song or two on their album to talk about what is going on.” He added that, aside from the corrupt politicians who gain free access to airtime on international news stations, the only other people who are given a voice are artistes during interviews. Thus we all have a responsibility.

It goes without saying that his formative years in Kalakuta instilled in Seun Kuti a strong sense of self and voice. The fruit does not fall far from the tree-as the saying goes-but this rising star seems to be carving his own destiny.

When it comes to Afrobeat, Seun remains a puritan at heart. “Afrobeat is the future. Even when it was created, it was ahead of its time.”

There is still one lesson that his father instilled in him till this very day, which he says is the equality of all men. “In Africa, they actually treat people as second class and third class human beings not even citizens. Money cannot be what makes a man greater than another man. In Nigeria today, honour is seen as stupidity. The poorer you are, the less important you are. This has to change.”

Wana Udobang is a radio presenter and producer on Inspiration FM.

Related Link: Interview with Seun Kuti