Entertainment
Seven Facts About Fela Kuti Revealed
The 2nd day of August
2016 was the 15th anniversary of the death of the music legend, Fela Anikulapo Ransome Kuti. He is a legend that might live forever, and this is because he literally created a genre of music and a way of life.
He stood up for his belief and revolutionized the way many people thought, even years after his death yet, he was not called the ‘Abami Eda’ (weird one) for nothing. Below are some facts that prove he was indeed one of a kind.
Jay Z And Will Presents: Fela! Musical
First off, you have to be a really big deal to have a Broadway musical produced in your honor. And you have to be of greater importance to have a Broadway Musical produced in your honor 12 years after your death by the biggest names in an entertainment industry that is not even on your continent. This musical has II Tony nominations.
Steve Mcqueen Is Working On A Film About Fela Life
Now to truly understand and how great this is, Steve Mcqueen is a turner prize-winning artist and film maker, who won a Bafta for debut feature ‘Hunger’ He is currently working on a film about Fela and his life. According to rumours, award winning Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is likely to act the lead role.
Fela Created Afro Beat
While many musicians can be said to be kings of music generes, He is a god when it comes to Afrobeat, because he created it, He created the genre when he returned to Nigeria in the late 60s, blending African rhythms with jazz and funk.
Fela Defied His Parents For Music
He attended the Abeokuta Grammar School in Abeokuta and later he was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine. However, the young man defied his parents and decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music, the trumpet being his preferred instrument. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a fusion of jazz and highlife.
Fela Built His Own Little Country In Nigeria
He built “Kalakuta Republic” his own personal domain, as an act of rebellion. It was complete with its own constitution and a free health clinic. Kalakuta offered sanctuary to the homeless. Students trooped in eager to take part in debates on Africa’s future. Marijuana flowed freely. Kalakuta was an affront to Nigeria’s dictators.
Fela Married 27 Women In One Day
Following the destruction of Kalakuta Republic in 1977 by soldiers, he married 27 women in a single ceremony-saying they were jobless after Kalakuta’s destruction so he would take care of them. The mass wedding was followed by a mass divorce 10 years later.
Fela Contested For Presidency In 1979
Later in 1978, he formed his own political party, which he called Movement of the People (MOP), in order to “clean up society like a mop”, as he liked to say. In 1979, he put himself forward for president in Nigeria’s first elections for more than a decade, but his candidature was refused by the ruling class. Fela lives on!!
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
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