Veteran Afrobeat artist and torchbearer of the Ransome-Kuti dynasty, Femi returns to his birthplace with his merry band for a joyful, dance-heavy evening at the KOKO/
The eldest son of the greatest Nigerian artist to ever live, Femi Kuta had much to live up to. But, like the other Kuti children, Femi was more hellbent on doing his own thing.
Collaborating with modern hip-hop artists, poaching his dad’s former pianist, lending his voice to GTA4, and racking up four Grammy nominations, Femi’s career path took many turns through many phases. What remains consistent is his desire for him to honour his father’s music.
Red Hot + Riot is one of the greatest reworks of the current century, and his joint work with his son Legacy+ again saw him nominated for a Grammy. A hard balancing act, to recreate the music of your father without sounding like him, an opportunity which Femi took to completely musically reinvent himself. His rework of the classic ‘Water No Get Enemy’ brought Afrobeat into the 21st century, influencing the outcome of the genre to its present day in artists like Ezra Collective, who similarly synthesised hip-hop influences.
He even has an impressive Guinness World Record: longest held note on a saxophone, at 51 minutes and 28 seconds, smashing Kenny G’s 45 minutes set 20 years prior.
Taking over KOKO with his band, The Positive Force, Femi Kuti is bound to burn down the house, with emphatic solo’s, polyrhythmic jams, and rousing lyrics and vocals that emphasise the importance of freedom, courage, and defiance in the face of oppression. Like his father, his lyricism is as strong as his music, feeding your heart and mind while getting your feet working too.