Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti (born 11 January 1983), who is called by the name Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician,

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and the youngest son of the famous

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

pioneer, Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80.

Biography

The youngest son of Fela Kuti, Kuti was born in 1983. He became interested in music at the age of five, by the time he turned nine, he had started playing with his father's band, Egypt 80. Fela Kuti died in 1997 and Seun Kuti took to the role of leading Egypt 80. In 2008, the band released an album called ''Many Things''. This was the first album released under the moniker ''Sean Kuti & Egypt 80''. He is featured in Calle 13's song ''"Todo se mueve"'' (Everything Moves), on their 2010 album ''Entren los que quieran.'' In 2014, Seun Kuti was given an honorary invitation to perform live for the first time at the Industry Nite. In 2019, Kuti was a featured guest on ''

85 to Africa ''85 to Africa'' is the second studio album by Nigerian-American recording artist Jidenna. It was released on August 23, 2019 through Wondaland and Epic Records. It follows the release of both his debut effort '' The Chief'' and the EP ''Boomerang ...

''; the second album by American rapper

Jidenna Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper and singer. In 2015, Jidenna released two singles, "Classic Man" (featuring Roman GianArthur and Kendrick Lamar) and " Yoga" (with Janelle Monáe ...

. In June, Kuti was featured in the

Visual Collaborative Visual Collaborative is an American festival and publishing platform highlighting the intersections of people, commerce, and innovation. Acclaim for its social impact in humanities, it was featured by VOA, for advancing the cause of humanities and ...

electronic catalogue, under the ''Polaris'' series, he was interviewed on

Pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement ext ...

awareness, his country and music.

Politics

Kuti participated actively in the

Occupy Nigeria Occupy Nigeria was a socio-political protest movement that began in Nigeria on Monday, 2 January 2012 in response to the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday, 1 January 2012. Protests took pla ...

protests against the fuel subsidy removal policy of President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

in his country Nigeria in January 2012. Seun Kuti is an atheist. In 2019, on Jidenna's ''85 to Africa'' album Kuti voiced an outro of a song with the words: ''"I believe it's time for an African peoples powered highway. A highway that will connect the Diaspora and Motherland. A global highway for African people all over the world to rediscover themselves. To remember that the only thing that unites black people, globally, the only thing we all have in common is that we are from Africa"''. In November 2020, he led the revival of his father's defunct political party - Movement of the People - with the intention of registering it with Nigeria's electoral body, INEC.

Personal life

Seun welcomed a baby girl with his partner on 16 December 2013 and named her Ifafunmike Adara Anikulapo-Kuti. Seunkuti-egypt80

Reception

In 2018, ''Black Times'', by Seun Kuti was nominated for the Grammys, in the World Music Category. This makes him the second child of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti to be considered for this award, as his elder brother

Femi Kuti Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962), popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's ri ...

has been previously nominated in the same category without a win.

Discography

Released as ''Sean Kuti & Egypt 80'':

Studio albums

*''Many Things'' (CD & LP

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, 2008, Tôt ou Tard, Disorient Records) *''From Africa With Fury: Rise'' (2011,

Knitting Factory Records Knitting Factory Records is an independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists, including the music of deceased Nigerian political activist Fela Kuti. The label promotes a variety of music artists including A ...

Because Music Because Music is an independent record label with headquarters in Paris and London. Because Music SAS is the main label, with Because Music Ltd handling the British artist roster. Because Music was founded in 2005 by former president of Virgin ...

) *''A Long Way To the Beginning'' (2014,

) *''Struggle Sounds'' (EP, 2016,

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterwor ...

) *''Black Times'' (CD & LP

, 2018,

Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. History The label was "acquired and re-launched in January 2008." The label website states that "from 1999-2003, the label became renowned for its uncompromisi ...

) *''Night Dreamer Direct to Disc Sessions (CD & LP, 2019, Night Dreamer Records)

Other recordings

*''Think Africa'' ( 12", 2007) *''African Dreams'' EP (2022, with

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded a ...

)

Appearances

*"James Brown" (on the album '' I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss'' by Sinéad O'Connor) (2014,

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

)

References

External links

Seun Kuti

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
discographies at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Seun Kuti
on Myspace
Sean Kuti Interview
on

Monocle 24 Monocle 24 is a mainly speech-based internet radio station, broadcasting from Monocle's headquarters at Midori House in London, England. On weekdays, the station produces three hours of live, current affairs-based programmes. It also broadcasts ...

with

Georgina Godwin Georgina may refer to: Names * Georgina (name), a feminine given name Places Australia * Georgina, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland * Georgina Basin, a large sedimentary basin in Australia * Georgina River, a riv ...

Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti First Nomination at Grammy Awards for

Best World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuti, Seun Living people Nigerian male musicians Nigerian saxophonists 1983 births World music musicians Ransome-Kuti family Nigerian atheists Yoruba musicians 21st-century Nigerian musicians Musicians from Lagos 21st-century saxophonists Because Music artists Knitting Factory Records artists