Biography
Olufela Olusegun Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti — known as Femi Kuti — is a Nigerian musician born in 1962 in London, England. He is the eldest son of Fela Kuti, the pioneer who created Afrobeat by fusing traditional Yoruba music, highlife, jazz and funk into a single, politically-charged sound.
Femi began performing with his father's band, Egypt 80, before forming his own group, the Positive Force, in 1986. He has carried the Afrobeat tradition into a new generation, touring internationally and performing at major stages including Glastonbury, the Hollywood Bowl and the New Africa Shrine, the Lagos venue he leads in tribute to his father's original Afrika Shrine.
Discography (selected)
- Femi Kuti (1995)
- Shoki Shoki (1998)
- Fight to Win (2001)
- Day by Day (2008)
- No Place for My Dream (2013)
- One People One World (2018)
- Stop the Hate (2021)
- Journey Through Life (2024, with Made Kuti)
Recognition
Femi Kuti has received multiple Grammy Award nominations for Best World Music Album and remains one of the most prominent living ambassadors of Afrobeat, a genre recognised by UNESCO as part of Nigeria's intangible cultural heritage.
The New Africa Shrine
Since 2000, Femi Kuti has run the New Africa Shrine in Lagos, a live-music venue that continues the legacy of his father's original club — a stage for Afrobeat, social commentary and Nigerian culture.