View source for Femi Kuti

{{short description|Nigerian musician and singer-songwriter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Femi Kuti
| image             = Femi Kuti - 53776092150 (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Kuti performing in 2023
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1962|6|16}}<ref name="official">{{cite web|url=https://www.femikuti.com/bio|title=My Gist|website=www.femikuti.com|access-date=3 April 2019|archive-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620090600/https://www.femikuti.com/bio|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| birth_place       = [[London]], England
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| origin            = [[Lagos]], [[Lagos State]], Nigeria
| instrument        = Saxophone, vocals, trumpet, keyboards
| genre             = [[Afrobeat]], [[jazz]], [[Funk]]
| occupation        = Singer-songwriter, musician
| years_active      = 1978–present
| label             = [[BMG Rights Management|BMG]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Femi Kuti |url=https://www.bmg.com/de/artist/femi-kuti |website=BMG |access-date=1 January 2023 |language=en |date=10 February 2016}}</ref>
}}
[[File:FemiKuti20110925A.jpg|thumb|Performance at Warszawa Cross Culture Festival – 25 September 2011]]

'''Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti''' (born 16 June 1962), popularly known as '''Femi Kuti''', is a Nigerian musician born in [[London]] and raised in [[Lagos]]. He is the eldest son of [[Afrobeat]] pioneer [[Fela Kuti]] and a grandchild of political campaigner, [[Women's rights|women's rights activist]] and [[Nigerian Chieftaincy|traditional aristocrat]] [[Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti]].

Femi Kuti began his musical career playing in his father's band, [[Egypt 80]]. In 1986, Femi started his own band, Positive Force, establishing himself as an artist independent of his father's legacy.

==Biography==
Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London to [[Fela Kuti|Fela]] and Remilekun (Remi) Ransome-Kuti (née Taylor; 1941-2000), and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, [[Lagos]]. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, however, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi started playing the saxophone at the age of 15 and eventually became a member of his father's band.<ref name="official"/> He studied at [[Baptist Academy]] and [[Igbobi College]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 July 2018|title=Femi Kuti Biography And Everything You Need To Know About Him|url=https://buzznigeria.com/femi-kuti-biography/|access-date=29 May 2021|website=BuzzNigeria - Famous People, Celebrity Bios, Updates and Trendy News|language=en-US}}</ref>

Like his father, Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/10/26/african.voices.femi.kuti/index.html?iref=24hours/ |title=Femi Kuti: Blending Afrobeat And Politics |publisher=CNN |date=11 November 2009 |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=9 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809171144/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/10/26/african.voices.femi.kuti/index.html?iref=24hours%2F |url-status=dead }}</ref> Femi's grandmother, [[Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti]], was a political campaigner and women's rights activist.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 August 2018|title=One People One World: Femi Kuti's life in music and activism|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/thestream/2018/08/25692-200324105658646.html|access-date=9 June 2020|website=Al Jazeera|archive-date=9 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609212645/https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/thestream/2018/08/25692-200324105658646.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gardner |first=John |title=Femi Kuti: Afrobeat Legend And Concerned Citizen Of The World |url=https://wmfpodcast.org/femi-kuti-afrobeat-legend-humanitarian-and-concerned-citizen-of-the-world/ |website=The World Music Foundation Podcast |publisher=The World Music Foundation |access-date=19 August 2020 |ref=17 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921134207/https://wmfpodcast.org/femi-kuti-afrobeat-legend-humanitarian-and-concerned-citizen-of-the-world/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He created his own band, Positive Force, in the late 1980s with [[Dele Sosimi]] ([[Gbedu]] Resurrection), former keyboard player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and [[:fr:Christian Mousset|Christian Mousset]] to perform at the [[Festival d'Angoulême]] (France), the [[New Morning (club)|New Morning Club]] in Paris and the [[Moers Festival]] in Germany. In 2000, Kuti joined in a duet on the track "Ala Jalkoum" on the [[Rachid Taha]] album ''[[Made in Medina]]''.

In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album ''Fight to Win'' with a number of US musicians, including [[Common (rapper)|Common]], [[Mos Def]], and [[Jaguar Wright]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrasserecords.com/Femi_Kuti_10/Fight_To_Win_29.html/ |title=Fight To Win |publisher=Wrasse Records |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325180948/http://wrasserecords.com/Femi_Kuti_10/Fight_To_Win_29.html |archive-date=25 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father's classic song "Water No Get Enemy" to ''[[Red Hot & Riot]]'', a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by the [[Red Hot Organization]] and [[MCA Inc.|MCA]]. Femi's track was created in collaboration with hip-hop and R&B artists [[D'Angelo]], [[Macy Gray]], [[The Soultronics]], [[Nile Rodgers]] and [[Roy Hargrove]], and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.

Femi Kuti's voice is featured in the videogame ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', where he is the host of radio station IF 99 (International Funk 99, described as "playing a great selection of classics from West Africa, the US and elsewhere").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/18/femi.kuti.music/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809172709/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/18/femi.kuti.music/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 August 2014 |title=Femi Kuti Builds on His Father's Legacy |publisher=CNN |date=11 May 2011}}</ref>

{{Listen
| type        = music
| filename    = FemiKutiSorrySorry(OldScho.ogg
| title       = "Sorry Sorry"
| description = 30-second sample
| pos         = right
}}
In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti's criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song "Sorry Sorry",<ref>{{cite book|title=The Politics of Being Nigerian|isbn=978-1-4116-1956-2|year=2006|publisher=[[Lulu.com]]|pages=97|author=Okechukwu Jones Asuzu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XZH93qwrFJkC&q=sorry+sorry+femi+kuti+critical+of+his&pg=PA97}}</ref> along with "What Will Tomorrow Bring" and "97".

Femi has been nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] four times in the [[world music]] category in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013 but has never won.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenetng.com/2012/02/12/breaking-news-femi-kuti-loses-grammy-prize |title=Breaking news: Femi Kuti Loses Grammy Prize |publisher=Nigerian Entertainment Today |date=12 February 2012 |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-date=14 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214214952/http://www.thenetng.com/2012/02/12/breaking-news-femi-kuti-loses-grammy-prize |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 19 December 2014 a management deal between [[Chocolate City Music]] Group and Femi Kuti was reached. The news was announced via the [[Chocolate City Music]] official Instagram account, as well as [[Audu Maikori]] social media accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://afrobios.com/-Femi+Kuti/|title=Femi Kuti Biography|work=AFROBIOS|access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref>

On 5 February 2021, Femi Kuti and his son, [[Made Kuti]], released their two-album project, ''Legacy+'' under Partisan Records. The project includes Femi's eleventh album ''Stop the Hate'' and Made's debut album ''For(e)ward''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kalia |first=Ammar |date=5 February 2021 |title=Femi Kuti and Made Kuti: Legacy+ review – Afrobeat's first family look forward |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/05/femi-kuti-and-made-kuti-legacy-plus-review |work=The Guardian |location=London, England |access-date=6 February 2021}}</ref>

== Activism ==
Femi, the son of [[African popular music|Afrobeat]] singer and political activist [[Fela Kuti]], inherited his father's zeal for both music and activism. He started playing the saxophone and keyboard with his father's band when he was 16 and stepped into the spotlight, writing and singing after his father's demise. Femi remains politically inclined grooving to high energy funk, jazz and traditional African-fueled songs about political corruption, poverty and primitive living conditions suffered by most inhabitants in Nigeria's oil-rich nation.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Shrine: Femi bio|url = http://www.afrobeatmusic.net/html/femi_bio_.html|website = www.afrobeatmusic.net|access-date = 23 October 2015}}</ref>

Femi Kuti's album ''[[Africa for Africa]]'' emphasized "Bad Government" as a problem in Africa. Before the 2011 elections in Nigeria, he reached out to the people that there was "no difference between the three candidates contesting for the presidential seat in Nigeria". He added, "we could say we're moving in the democratic process. And it's probably better than going to war, but corruption is still very rampant. The people are hungry and sick. And the government controls the media, so it can't be critical".

Kuti also said: "It's a very hypocritical situation. People settle for putting a meal on the table, but they don't know that the rest of the world doesn't suffer every day from power outages and water shortage. Nigerians don't even know about the history of African slavery, because it's not included in the text books." He echoed the same sentiments in the 2015 elections by releasing a remix to the song "Politics Na Big Business" featuring [[2face Idibia|Tuface Idiibia]] and [[Sound Sultan]] through his management company, [[Chocolate City (music label)|Chocolate City]].

Kuti's song "Make We Remember" calls on people to remember the words of his father and "great [[black people]]", who fought for the emancipation of Africa. For a very long time, Femi has been using music to inspire, change and motivate African people.

==Live performances==
On 22 November 2014, Kuti performed at the BMO event, where he shared the same stage with his new label mate [[M.I Abaga|M.I]] (Jude Abaga).<ref>{{Cite web|title = News and Entertainment – Latest Updates in Nigeria |url = http://pulse.ng/|website = pulse.ng|access-date = 23 October 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Femi Kuti 2.jpg|thumb|Kuti performing in London]]
On 24 April 2015, he performed in the 2 Kings concert alongside his brother [[Seun Kuti]]. The concert is significant as it is the first concert that the brothers have performed together.<ref>{{cite web|title='2Kings Concert': Femi & Seun Kuti To Perform Together For First Time|url=http://saharareporters.com/2015/04/22/%E2%80%982kings-concert%E2%80%99-femi-seun-kuti-perform-together-first-time|publisher=Sahara Reporters|access-date=17 May 2015|date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
 
On 15 May 2017, Kuti was referred to in the [[Guinness World Records]] under the catalog of a single note held on a sax in a method called [[circular breathing]]. He set the records at 51 min 35 seconds.<ref>Tosin Akinbami, [http://745ng.com/femi-kuti-finally-breaks-world-record-of-51-minutes-35-seconds-at-age-55 "Femi Kuti Finally Set a New World Record of 51 minutes 35 seconds at age 55"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121012121/http://745ng.com/femi-kuti-finally-breaks-world-record-of-51-minutes-35-seconds-at-age-55/ |date=21 November 2018 }}, 745ng.com, 15 May 2017.</ref>

==Discography==

===Albums===
*''No Cause for Alarm?'' (1989, Polygram)
*''M.Y.O.B'' (1991, Kalakuta Records)
*''[[Femi Kuti (album)|Femi Kuti]]'' (1995, Tabu/[[Motown Records|Motown]])
*''[[Shoki Shoki]]'' (1998, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA)
*''[[Fight to Win (album)|Fight to Win]]'' (2001, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA/Wraase)
*''[[Day by Day (Femi Kuti album)|Day by Day]]'' (2008, [[Wrasse Records]])
*''[[Africa for Africa]]'' (2010 /2011, Wrasse Records/[[Knitting Factory Records]])
*''[[No Place for My Dream]]'' (2013, Knitting Factory Records)
*''One People One World'' (2018, Knitting Factory Records)
*''[[Legacy+|Stop the Hate]]'' (2021, [[Partisan Records]])
*''Journey Through Life'' (2025, Partisan Records)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Femi Kuti - Journey Through Life |url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1265604-femi-kuti-journey-through-life.php |access-date=2025-10-09 |website=Album of The Year |language=en}}</ref>

===Live albums===
*''Africa Shrine (Live CD)'' (2004, P-Vine)
*''Live at the Shrine (Deluxe Edition DVD) + Africa Shrine (Live CD)'' (2005, Palm Pictures/Umvd)

=== Tours ===
* ''Le Cabaret Suavage Black Summer Festival, Paris'' (Afrobeat concert, 2015)
* ''Garforth Festival Garforth, Leeds'' (2015)
* ''The Lantern Bristol, UK'' 2015
* ''Band on the Wall'' ''Manchester, UK'', 2015
* ''Latitude Festival'' ''Suffolk UK'', 2015
* ''Larmer Tree Festival'' ''Salisbury UK 2015''
* ''Walthamstow Garden Party, London, Lloyd Park'' 2015<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Femi Kuti Official Website|url = http://www.femiakuti.com/|website = Femi Kuti Official Website|access-date = 23 October 2015|archive-date = 22 November 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131122104917/http://www.femiakuti.com/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

===Collections ===
*''The Best of Femi Kuti'' (2004, Umvd/Wrasse)
*''Femi Kuti The Definitive Collection'' (2007, Wrasse Records)

=== Appearances ===
*"Vampires" (on the album ''[[Radio Retaliation]]'' by [[Thievery Corporation]]) (2008, [[ESL Music]])
*''[[Hope for the Hopeless (album)|Hope for the Hopeless]]'' (2008) collaboration with Brett Dennen
*''[[Finding Fela]]'' (2014) a documentary film directed by [[Alex Gibney]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = Finding Fela – a Film by Alex Gibney, official website & trailer|url = http://findingfela.com/|website = Finding Fela|access-date = 23 October 2015}}</ref>
*"[[Arabesque (Coldplay song)|Arabesque]]" (on the album ''[[Everyday Life (Coldplay album)|Everyday Life]]'' by [[Coldplay]]) (2019)

===Compilations===
*''[[Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack#IF99 .E2.80.93 International Funk|Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack]]'' (2008, IF99)

===Other===
*''No Cause For Alarm?'' (1989, [[Polygram Records|Polygram]])
*''M.Y.O.B.'' (1991, Meodie)
*"Ala Jalkoum" (on the album ''[[Rachid Taha Live]]'') (2001, [[Mondo Melodia]])

==Awards and honours==
As of 2022, Kuti has been nominated for six [[Grammy Award]]s in multiple categories. He was nominated four times (in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013) in the [[Grammy Award for Best World Music Album|Best World Music Album]] category.<ref name="grammy">{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/femi-kuti/9248|title=Artist: Femi Kuti|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2023 |website=www.grammy.com |publisher=Recording Academy |access-date=February 17, 2023}}</ref> For the [[64th Annual Grammy Awards|2022 Grammy Awards]], Femi and his son Made were nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album|Best Global Music Album]] and Femi was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance|Best Global Music Performance]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cohn |first=Gabe |date=November 24, 2021 |title=Grammy Awards 2022: The Full List of Nominees |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/arts/music/grammys-nominee-list.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 25, 2021}}</ref>

On October 20, 2022, Kuti was awarded as a [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Chevalier des arts et des lettres]] (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the [[French Ministry of Culture]] in Paris.

==Videography==
{{Expand list|date=June 2015}}
{|class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Album
!Director
!Ref
|-
|2013
|"The World Is Changing"
|''No Place for my Dreams''
|{{n/a}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=New Video – The World Is Changing By Femi Kuti|url=http://pulse.ng/music/new-video-the-world-is-changing-by-femi-kuti-id2512348.html|website=Pulse Nigeria|publisher=Pulse Mix|access-date=29 April 2013|archive-date=19 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619161958/http://pulse.ng/music/new-video-the-world-is-changing-by-femi-kuti-id2512348.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[Ransome-Kuti family]]
*[[Seun Kuti]]
*[[Fela Anikulapo Kuti]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Femi Kuti}}
*{{allmusic|artist/femi-kuti-mn0000168497}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*[http://docsonline.tv/?search=day%20by%20day&type=title&docinfo=394 Femi Kuti] ''Day by Day'' documentary by Thomas Bataille, 2010

{{Femi Kuti}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuti, Femi}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from London]]
[[Category:Nigerian jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Wrasse Records artists]]
[[Category:Nigerian world music musicians]]
[[Category:Yoruba musicians]]
[[Category:Ransome-Kuti family]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian musicians]]
[[Category:The Headies winners]]
[[Category:British emigrants to Nigeria]]
[[Category:English people of Yoruba descent]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian saxophonists]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian saxophonists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Lagos]]
[[Category:Culture of the African diaspora]]
[[Category:Knitting Factory Records artists]]
[[Category:Nigerian political music artists]]