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.

DX: Your father also had a practice of performing unrecorded music. What is the repertoire you are playing at your live shows today?
SK: It’s 90% my compositions, 10% my dads. Because whenever I play my dad’s songs, it’s a sign of respect. So I play some of my dad’s music, but it’s mostly my songs from the album.

DX: How do you differentiate your own music from your father’s?
SK: I’m not trying to differentiate, that is not my goal. That is not what I’m striving for. I’m not trying to sound like my dad or better, because my dad was a big composer. I’m not trying to steal his compositions. I don’t try to differentiate, there’s no what I’m looking for. You don’t get anything from doing that.

DX: Your brother Femi was known for distancing himself musically from your father.
SK: That’s my brother; we are different. The thing about my dad is he raised us all as individuals. I don’t judge him for his own belief; he doesn’t judge me for my own belief.

DX: Is there a rivalry there with your brother?
SK: No, not at all. He’s my brother.

DX: I remember hearing on your first American tour, it was Barack Obama who got you visas, is that true?
SK: Yeah, the next President of the United States.

DX: Can you tell the story behind that?
SK: Well it’s an incredible story, it just was meant to be because we were going to play in Chicago and we were told that [we would not be let in to the country] a few hours before we were going to land. We knew somebody that knew somebody that knew somebody that knew Barack, and Barack being humble, he understood and related to the struggle and said, “I know some people that know some people at the American Embassy.” It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. [Laughs]

DX: Listening to the album, it does remind me a lot of your father. What do you think about the music on the album?
SK: Well the album is made up of original compositions but as I said, with my dad’s music, I want to hold on to as much of that original quality. That is my goal, that is my intention. Everybody is an individual, really, so my music has no family. But the music should be, "Okay, this guy is an Afrobeat artist," because I personally feel like all other genres, put some Funk in your Afrobeat, put some Soul in your Afrobeat no, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop all of this, put some Afrobeat in your music, bring Afrobeat to the future.

DX: Did your father know about your intention to carry on his legacy, or is that something that came to you after his passing?
SK: I don’t think so because I didn’t plan it either it was spur of the moment I did it right there, I made the decision. I’ve always been playing with the band, since I was eight.

DX: Do you think that the Afrobeat style is going to have a legacy in the future?
SK: My dad was definitely ahead of his time, I feel Afrobeat just started now. When my dad was alive he was the only Afrobeat band out there. Now there are thousands of Afrobeat bands out there. I think musically, it just started to grow, I think Afrobeat is here to stay.

DX: You were quoted as saying every artist wants to define themselves, now that you’re coming out with an album how do you hope to be defined by people?
SK: I don’t want to be defined, as I said every artist wants to define himself. I am answerable only to me I’m a perfectionist with whatever I choose to follow. I define myself musically- I’m an Afrobeat artist, I’m Fela’s son. I want to also be known as Seun Kuti, a good Afrobeat artist, not just Seun Kuti, Fela’s son.