Afrobeat From The Time Of Fela Kuti

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The other day my friend and I were interviewing some people on the street about their views on music and who their favourite musician were. Their response were funny and interesting altogether, as some said music is the combination of sweet and matching words while others said music is the melodious sound and rhythm that speaks to our souls.

I believe everyone was speaking from their experiences with music because there's a saying which goes "Whenever you are happy, you enjoy the melody of a song but whenever you are sad, you listen to the lyrics. For me, music goes far beyond words, as it has a way of resonating the soulish part of my being.

Just like many other people, I have been using music to escape from boredom, anger, and depression. Whenever I feel like am losing it, I quickly turn-on my Music Player (MP3) and boom, am all vibes again. I don't know what they put in some musics, because they tend to always perform magics to our modes like nothing else could do.

I don't think there's ever a day I don't listen to one or two musical hits from my favourite genre (Afrobeat). Talking about my favourite genre of music, Afrobeat wasn't my favorite growing up, Instead I was the biggest fan of Reggae music because that was what my dad usually played for us to listen while growing up.

A recent survey was conducted on one of my school's platforms for students to "mention the artist who is dead but his music still lives on." And the survey showed that Lucky Dube and Bob Marley (arguably the best reggae artists from Africa) were the legendary names to top the charts. However, my love for reggae music gradually died as they were no active reggae artists to replace the legendary Lucky Dube.

This was how I found myself falling in love with Afrobeat, lol. Afrobeat started in late 1960 after Nigeria got her Independence, and guess who pioneered it's innovation? No one else but the legendary Fela Kuti who later became the face of African music. Fela Kuti was a Yoruba man from Nigeria, so this genre basically has the original West Africa vibes from the Yoruba kingdom, and a little touch of jazz, funk, and highlife music.

From Pixabay

Fela Kuti's did a very great job to seek for a sound that was purely from the land but at the same time generally acceptable, because it wouldn't have been fair if after we gained Independence from the hands of the colonial masters, we still go ahead to follow their ways of music when we can originally create ours.

What made afrobeat so unique and acceptable at that time was because Fela Kuti used his lyrics to delve into the hearts of Nigeria's political issues, as most of his songs were addressing government corruption, poverty, and the struggles for our freedom and rights. This was when afrobeat was afrobeat.

Fela Kuti created a record label called the Kalakuta Republic and the Afro-Shrine nightclub where he recorded and performed his songs against the corrupt government of Nigeria at that time. His lyrics went beyond just sounds and melody, it was more of a protest for a better Nigeria.

He didn't just stop there as he also used his sound to celebrate the Nigerian culture and her fight against injustice. He was really a legend if you ask me because on several occasions he was arrested by the Nigerian government through her military, but he didn't relent until his death.

Moving forward till this day, afrobeat has evolved tremendously and now some artist are beginning to even change the style that was passed down from our legends. For instance, Rema that just came into the Nigeria music industry in 2018 has decided to create his genre called Afro-Rave (A little African, a little Indian, lol).

We didn't know how powerful afrobeat was until this digital era of internet and social media platforms. Afrobeat is making us proud around the globe today and the three biggest artists in Africa (Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy) are from Nigeria, thanks to afrobeat. In fact, Afrobeat has won more global nominations and awards than any other African country today.

Nigerian artists are now getting collaborations with the biggest global artists because everyone has seen that the future of afrobeat is very bright. Imagine how Davido would leave his country, go to London and perform an afrobeat song that would shutdown O2 arena, isn't afrobeat wonderful.

If I continue talking about this interesting genre of music you all won't be able to read it to the end, lol. The future of afrobeat is very bright because of what I see on a daily basis in the music industry. If you are looking for a genre of music that would make you hit the dance floor then afrobeat is you perfect choice.

My entry for day 17 of the InLeo monthly prompt, organized by the InLeo team. You can check out the link here for participation.

I appreciate your time around here❤️:-)