Afrobeat
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Afrobeat is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Yoruba and Ghanaian music with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, an
Seun Kuti during an Afrobeat performance
Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
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Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk an
Afrobeat
…on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion, the style was pioneered in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who popularised it both within and outside Nigeria. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and…
Kuti c. 1986
The Ransome-Kuti family c. 1940
Two of Kuti's sons are musicians: Femi and Seun.
James Brown was an important American influence on Kuti's musical style.