Strange how music trends seem to go around in circles. Since spearheading the world music boom at the end of the '80s, African music sales have been on a downward spiral for much of this decade. Now in the form of Afrobeat, the music is making a strong comeback and sweeping dance floors around the world.
Together with the highlife sound of King Sunny Ade, it was Afrobeat back in the '70s that spawned the first wave of interest in the sounds of Africa through its instigator, Fela Kuti. Fela (as he was simply and affectionately called) united jazz and highlife, and replaced American R&B with classical African rhythms, returning the funk of James Brown to Africa. Combining the stage charisma of Bob Marley, the political vitriol of Pete Seeger and the rhythm sense of Prince, for three decades Nigeria's self-proclaimed black president waged a cultural war against the establishment.
It's completely fitting that now, being championed as the new "King of Afrobeat," should be none other than Fela's eldest son, Femi Kuti. He gave this interview in Tokyo Aug. 2, the day after his appearance at the Fuji Rock Festival and two years to the day after Fela died in Lagos of an AIDS-related illness.