HISTORY
Fela Kuti &
Afrobeat: A Legacy
For Generations
The term was coined in the 1960s by
Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and
bandleader Fela Kuti, who is responsible
for pioneering and popularizing the
style both within and outside Nigeria.
A
frobeat is a music genre which involves
the combination of elements of West
African musical styles such as Fuji
music and highlife with American funk
and jazz influences, with a focus on
chanted vocals, complex intersecting
rhythms, and percussion. The term was
coined in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-
instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who is responsible
for pioneering and popularizing the style both within and
outside Nigeria. Distinct from Afrobeat is Afrobeats - a sound
originating in Nigeria in the 21st century, one which takes
in diverse influences and is an eclectic combination of rap,
dancehall, and even R&B. The two genres, though often
conflated, are not the same.
Afrobeat began in Ghana in the early 1920s.
During that time, Ghanaian musicians
incorporated foreign influences like the foxtrot
and calypso with Ghanaian rhythms like
osibisaba (Fante). Highlife was associated with
the local African aristocracy during the colonial
period and was played by numerous bands
including the Jazz Kings, Cape Coast Sugar
Babies, and Accra Orchestra along the country’s
coast. Nigeria later joined the Afrobeat wave in
the late 60s led by Fela Kuti who experimented
67 | Colossium . March 2019
with different contemporary music of the time.
Upon arriving in Nigeria, Kuti also changed the
name of his group to Africa ‘70. The new sound
hailed from a club that he established called the
Afrika Shrine. The band maintained a five-year
residency at the Afrika Shrine from 1970 to 1975
while afrobeat thrived among Nigerian youth.
Although the term Afrobeat was coined as early
as 1968, after making a trip to the United States,
Kuti wasn’t really making music in the category