Femi Kuti carries torch for Afrobeat Fela Kuti's oldest son has global political message

At 51, Femi Kuti is still the torch bearer
for Afrobeat, the politically savvy music
pioneered by his father Fela Kuti.
The 2008 Broadway show Fela helped
refocus attention on Kuti Sr., the Nigerian
music legend , with artists such Jay-Z and
Beyoncé acknowledging they are fans of
the Afrobeat sound.
As the oldest son, Femi Kuti believes he
has a mandate to keep his father's
traditional African rhythms in the
mainstream, but also to keep his message
of resistance alive.
Currently touring Canada with his band
The Positive Force in support of his latest
album No Place for My Dream, Kuti has
fashioned a global message that looks at
events as diverse as the Arab Spring and
the EU currency crisis.
"I thought I was at a stage in my career
where I could voice problems
internationally this time," Kuti said in an
interview with CBC's Q cultural affairs
show .
"I love where I am now. Being able to
stand on top of the world and express not
just my own personal problems in Nigeria,
but make it broader."
He spoke of friends in Europe who have
no jobs and no money, and the lingering
impact of the Arab Spring, which has left
Tunisia and Egypt unsettled.
All those problems are reflected in his
songwriting, which remains upbeat in
spite of the continuing corruption and
conflict, Kuti said.
"I'm a realist — I deal with what I see.
I'm very practical about what I see. I still
hope, I still dream and I still have to keep
on fighting," he added.
Kuti has collaborated with hip hop artists
such as Common and Mos Def, helping to
modernize the Afrobeat sound and make
it appealing to a new generation.
He says Nigeria, which abused and jailed
his father, cannot escape the Kuti name
and his impact, because teens there are
again listening to Afrobeat.
"After [Femi Kuti's hit song] Bang Bang
Bang, which was so big, it opened so
many doors for me and I thought it was
very important to seize those
opportunities work with as many people
as possible especially for Africa and if I
could tell the true story of Africa to the
art world and to music world, then it
would open doors for a new generation
one day," Kuti said. Already Nigerian
musicians are finding work in America
with the rising profile of Afrobeat, he
added.
Kuti says he doesn't feel his own career
has been overshadowed by having such a
famous father.
"People always say you will never be as
good as your father. But I have one
power — I truly love my father, I respect
him," he said.
Femi Kuti and his big band, The Positive
Force, will play in Toronto tonight and in
Ottawa and Quebec City this week,
before moving onto Europe.