While he credits Hip Hop artists such as Dr. Dre and Eminem as influences, Seun Kuti’s greatest musical inspiration comes from his father Fela Kuti, the legendary creator of Afrobeat. In the 1970s, Fela and his Africa 70 group introduced a new popular music style that fused traditional West African music with the influences of Jazz, Funk, R&B, and the ideology of the Black Power Movement. Renaming the group Egypt 80 in the 1980s to reference Egyptian civilization’s connection to Africa, Fela continued to deliver his Afrocentric and politically charged messages to the masses until his death in 1997. Since then, Seun Kuti has led the Egypt 80 band and toured the world.

In his book Fela Kuti: The Life And Times of an African Musical Icon, Michael Veal writes, “It remains to be seen whether younger practitioners will adapt the Afrobeat style to subsequent generations, or whether it was a brief historical episode fueled by a charismatic individual and a particular set of economic, social, and political circumstances”

For Seun Kuti, Afrobeat is anything but obsolete. As Kuti explains, his father’s musical contribution was so ahead of its time, that today’s afrobeat artists are just part of the beginning. While Seun acknowledges that the popularity of political messages in music has waned, he believes strongly that conscious discourse in music is still relevant. Nigeria remains a country riddled with severe problems, and Seun Kuti hopes to combat some of the apathy apparent in today’s youth worldwide. As he embarks on a U.S. tour and prepares to release his first album, Many Things, Nigeria’s Seun Kuti is eager to win over audiences with his individual form of Afrobeat.

HipHopDX: For American audiences who may not be familiar, can you talk about growing up musically with your father?
Seun Kuti: My dad really was the kind of dad that would take us along with him. To me, it was musical upbringing in the house. Every time there was music playing in the house, there was always a lively atmosphere. There was a lot of ideology and philosophy being spoken. I guess growing up with my dad was very educational.

DX: You’ve named Chuck D, Eminem and Dr. Dre as influences. What drew you to these these artists?
SK: You know basically to me, I’m trying to show I’m someone who loves Hip Hop. I loved Dr. Dre right from the beginning when he came out with N.W.A. a long time ago, so I appreciate that. I like Eminem because he came into a black community and music industry and tried to do something, make himself important, that showed me you can still make it against all odds if you’re good enough. Everyone influences me in different ways; it could be musically or personally. I draw a lot of inspiration from Hip Hop because it’s the music of my generation.

DX: What do you think Hip Hop’s influence sounds like in Africa?
SK: It’s all black music, so I don’t see it having any special impact. It’s normal that black people in Africa will relate to a lot to Hip Hop, because to me it’s all black music.

DX: How do the political conditions in Nigeria affect your music?
SK: I live every day in Nigeria; it’s part of who I am and what I do. [I grew up in an] environment where you’re taught to express yourself. The music that I make, Afrobeat, that’s not made for a pop audience. We cannot talk about any other thing in music, that’s why Afrobeat is very political and sociopolitical.

DX: What are some of the most severe problems facing your country that you address on the album?
SK: Nigeria is a country that is facing many problems; everything cannot be mentioned on my album. I just talked about what I was inspired to talk about at that moment, basically. I didn’t want to give everything away on the album. I want people to buy the album and also tell me what they hear and what they are saying as well. That is important to me, because I feel everybody interprets the words and the lyrics in their own way.

DX: Do you feel like the youth are tuned in to the messages that are in your music, even though today’s generation is known to be apathetic?
SK: Well, I guess they will be in tune when they listen. I think what I’m saying is not individual; it’s global. So I guess everybody will have to. The youth are not very enlightened, the youth are not active because people feel like if you are outspoken you are rude. You have to understand- back in the day it was trendy to be a rebel, everybody wanted to be political. But these days it’s not trendy, so we have to bring that back I guess.

DX: Are you concerned with maintaining tradition?
SK: Yes I have to say, but change is the only constant in life. Everything evolves, so you have to compensate at the same time. I think that tradition and culture have to be ready for change.

DX: You perform some of your fathers songs, how much do you find the messages that he had in his music still resonate with contemporary audiences?
SK: When I perform my father’s songs it’s the same, really, musically. And it’s a lot of the same problems, and I’m talking about what’s going on today. Continued on page 2 »