{"id":164739,"date":"2020-09-05T15:15:34","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T13:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/the-daughters-and-sons-of-fela-in-african-pop\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T15:15:34","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T13:15:34","slug":"the-daughters-and-sons-of-fela-in-african-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/the-daughters-and-sons-of-fela-in-african-pop\/","title":{"rendered":"The daughters and sons of Fela in African Pop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Decades after his death, Fela Kuti<\/a>, Nigeria\u2019s most famous musician continues to live on through his art. Afrobeat<\/a>, a genre he pioneered, has transcended generations after him, existing in varying forms. Contemporary African pop stars are sampling his work in new records. Much of that music is called \u2018Afrobeats\u2019<\/a> today, (the \u2018s\u2019 is important) A new genre, partly inspired by Fela\u2019s work. It\u2019s the current flavour of Lagos, and the rest of the continent, where Nigerian pop music maintains a strong presence.<\/p>\n

But how do these musicians portray this legend in their work? How do elements of Fela Kuti\u2019s music get reproduced? Does his conscious approach to art travel through the years into today\u2019s hedonistic popular culture?<\/p>\n

A Brand New Life<\/h2>\n

In 2019, Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage<\/a> christened her first single after signing a recording deal with Universal Music Group, \u201849-99\u2019<\/a>. The inspiration came from overcrowded large \u2018Molue\u2019 buses that used to be a common feature of transportation in Lagos. At a listening party for the single<\/a>, Savage explained that she chose to adopt some Afrobeat elements within the song, to draw attention to the continued plight of Africans suffering and smiling.<\/p>\n