The Truth About Fela

On Aug. 2, 1997, the world lost one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time: Fela Anikulapo Kuti. A legend in his native Nigeria, Kuti's impact has been felt all across the world. Now, Tony Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones (and celebrity producers Jay-Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) has brought the late great Afrobeat icon's life to the stage in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical 'Fela!' There's a lot to know about the Nigerian born trailblazer. We present some facts about the man that was known as the "Black President" -- long before Barack Obama surfaced on the political scene.

The Truth About Fela

Fela Kuti was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Nigeria, on Oct. 15, 1938, to Yoruba parents. He considered his original middle name, Ransome, to be a slave name and changed it to Anikulapo, which means "one who carries death in his pouch," in the '70s.

The Truth About Fela

Fela was a Pan-Africanist who was heavily influenced by the Black Power Movement. His former love interest, Sandra Smith (now Sandra Isidore), a former member of the Black Panther Party is credited with turning him on to Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver, among other influential figures. During his life, Fela often referred to himself as the "Black President."

The Truth About Fela

Fela grew up in a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo, was an activist in the anti-colonial movement in Nigeria, championing for women's rights. His father, Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, was a reverend.

The Truth About Fela

In 1954, Fela joined the Cool Cats, a highlife band. Highlife was a popular music form in Nigeria at the time, particularly in Lagos. In 1958, he went to London to study medicine but decided to take up music at the Trinity College of Music instead. In 1961, he met and married his first wife, Remi Taylor. The couple had three children (Femi, Yeni and Sola).

The Truth About Fela

In 1968, Fela announced the arrival of a new musical style called Afrobeat, which fuses "elements of Yoruba music, jazz and funk rhythms with an instrumentation that emphasizes African percussion and vocal styles blend of elements of jazz, funk and Yoruba music." (Source:) His first band, Koola Lobitos, blended the highlife music of Nigeria with Western jazz and R&B. The group made its first trip to the United States in 1969. The names of Fela's bands have included Koola Lobitos, Africa 70, Nigeria 70 and Egypt 80.

The Truth About Fela

In 1970, Fela formed his own commune, which he called the Kalakuta Republic --- a place for artists, musicians, political activists and followers. He also opened a nightclub in Lagos called The Shrine. Seven years later, during an army raid on Kalakuta Republic, Fela's 77-year-old mother, Funmilayo, was thrown from a second-story window. She died from her injuries shortly thereafter. Fela carried his mother's coffin to the headquarters of the Nigerian military government and composed a song marking the event called 'Coffin for Head of State.' After the raid, Fela lived briefly in exile in Ghana, returning to Nigeria in 1978.

The Truth About Fela

Fela married 27 women (many of whom were his female dancers) in 1978. Many people objected to his views on women and homosexuality.

The Truth About Fela

In 1979, Fela formed his own political party called MOP (Movement of the People). He attempted to run for president of Nigeria in 1979, but his candidacy was refused by the government. His songs often condemned Nigerian leadership under people such as Mohammed Buhari, Sani Abacha and Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Truth About Fela

In 1979, Roy Ayers embarked on a nine-city tour of Nigeria with Fela Kuti. Ayers' experience touring in Africa inspired the 1981 album, 'Africa, Center of the World.' A year later, the Roy Ayers and Fela Kuti collab album, 'Music of Many Colors,' was released.

The Truth About Fela