Smuggled Sounds: Femi Kuti & Positive Forces

Femi A veritable superstar in his native Nigeria, Femi Kuti is the standard bearer for Afro-beat, the blend of American jazz and funk with African percussion and vocals pioneered by his father, Fela Kuti in the 1970s.
Born in London in 1962 and raised in Lagos, Femi Kuti started his music career as a teenager, playing in and later leading his father's band, Egypt 80. In 1986, Femi formed his own group, Positive Force, following his father's Afrobeat traditions while modernizing the sound with hip-hop, soul and modern dance techniques. Femi's music is also more accessible. Fela's songs often stretched for 30 minutes with long brass and percussion jams. But Femi's is tighter. Like his father, Femi Kuti's music is also controversial. Femi's songs are politically charged with commentaries on African suffering from poverty, corruption and international neglect. But Femi is less antagonistic than his father and more conservative in his lifestyle choices. Fela Kuti, who died in 1997 from AIDS, was a famous polygamist (he once married 27 of his dancers during a concert) who refused to wear condoms, advocated marijuana use and often performed only in his underwear, all of which gave the government plenty of opportunities to arrest him, repeatedly. Femi says he saw his father's behavior as counterproductive to the impact Fela's music was having on African culture and politics. So Femi decided early on to live a more palatable life. He has one wife, doesn't drink or smoke, and is a public advocate for safe sex. But Femi maintains his father's anti-establishment sensibilities. In addition to his music, he's the founder of MASS, the Movement Against Second Slavery, to air the effects of government corruption and American and European business interests on post-colonial Africa.