The Kalakuta Republic

In response to the government corruption in Nigeria Fela Kuti created the Kalakuta Republic, a sovereignty separate from Nigeria. After being imprisoned in the Kalakuta prison for 11 months in 1974, Fela Kuti took his experience and used the name of the prison for his new republic from which his radio station was located. In the middle of the city of Lagos his republic was similar to a traditional vllagae as his ideals were for Africans to go back to their traditional ways after so much Western and European influence.

Soon, the Kalakuta republic became recognized and frustrated the government as the soldiers stationed nearby felt that the republic had been undermining their own governmental authority. On February 17, citizens of the area fought with soldiers then looked to Fela to protect him, he stated that the soldiers, unlike the police, did not have the right to arrest citizens. As a result, the next day one thousand soldiers surrounded the Kalakuta republic and fought with Fela, along with many of the members of the republic. Fela and the Kalakuta republic were beaten into a state of unconsciousness.

Many of the members were abused and jailed, women were raped, and Fela’s mother as murdered. The Kalakuta republic was burned by the soldiers, and destroyed it along with Fela’s studio, instruments, and  music. 

Fela was imprisoned for a short period of time and the Lagos State Government acquitted the military of any responsibility for the destruction.  To quote the author of the article, 

“Eventually, the Kalakuta republic became a symbol of resistance and rebellion…Fela’s artistic statement in the Kalakuta republic was to show Africans a different version of a modern Africa, where the state of the individual within the greater community was more important than the individual’s position within the state". The Kalakuta republic has sense been rebuilt and turned into a museum.

Source: http://www.mynewswatchtimesng.com/untold-story-felas-kalakuta-republic-neighbours/#sthash.hbrf9vzF.dpuf

-Leslie Hoyos

#StarBoyMondays

What would people do if artists stopped giving fans their music? In the case of WizKid, it seems that we will never know.

The twenty-four year old superstar was born as Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun in Lagos, Nigeria. He started out his career at age eleven in a group called the Glorious Five, made up of some of his friends from church. Together they made one successful album called Lil Prinz. They dismembered shortly after. WizKid later got back to music and put out his first solo album in 2011 called Superstar. This year, WizKid got back into the studio and put out his second album entitled Ayo. WizKid is known internationally and he was even dubbed the first Nigerian musician to get over one million followers on twitter. He currently has 1.34 million followers and the number is only growing.
   Ever since he dropped his album this year, he has been touring around with a band. Don't think that hasn't stopped him from being in the studio. No it hasn't! After releasing his album, WizKid decided to please fans further by announcing that he is releasing new music every Monday for the month of December via twitter.

Wizkid Ayo Balogun

@wizkidayo

10 days

At band rehearsal! Might just drop that jam right after this! #StarBoyMondays! I got a song coming every Monday thru out December!

His fans went crazy! They started tweeting at him nonstop and using his hashtag #StarBoyMondays. So far WizKid has released two songs, Wonder and Sound It. He even plans on releasing music videos on Mondays as well. The posts on twitter about his music have been nothing but positive. All of his fans can't wait to see what he releases for the rest of the Mondays this month. Here is what he released so far. Enjoy!

-Diana Perpignan

-Diana Perpignan

http://afrobios.com/-Wizkid

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/katy-perry-obama-wizkid-rule-twitter-2014/

Origins of Afrobeats: Yoruba

Afrobeats in influenced by traditional Nigerian music, Yoruba. There are three categories of Yoruba music: traditional song, Christian song, and Islamic song. It has different functions such as a praise song, a ceremonial music, or a burial/mourning music.

 Different instruments include the bells (Agogo) a cylindrical metal shaped object which comes in a single, double or multiple with percussion stick; and the Talking Drum (Gangan), a popular Yoruba drum made from wood, cone shaped with a leather cover on both ends. The Shaker (Ṣẹkẹrẹ) is a large gourd with threaded beads woven around gourd, which is tied on both ends. The back and forth movements of Ṣẹkẹrẹ creates rhythmic sound as directed by the lead singer or any Ṣẹkẹrẹ holder. The Dundun-Drum is a Gbẹdu 

big drum made from wood, beaten in honor of king, or great person.

Yoruba lead to different African music genres, one of them being highlife music. Highlife originated in Ghana but crossed cultural borders and was mixed with Yoruba to create Yoruba highlife music and eventually Afrobeats. Highlife combines certain African elements with western styled music. Instruments include jazz horns, guitar, and keyboards.

Source: http://yorupedia.com/subjects/education/yoruba-music/

-Leslie Hoyos

The Afrobeat Spotlight: D'Banj

   D'Banj is a Nigerian musician whose full name is Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo. His song, "Oliver Twist", made him internationally known in summer 2012. "Oliver Twist" is a fusion between Afrobeat and electronic dance music and is named based off the famous British story, "Oliver Twist", because he asked 'for more' in the story; in the song, "Oliver Twist" is the fictional character who asks for 'more' (girls).
   The song is definitely appealing to the audiences of this generation because of the lyrics; it is about how Oliver (portrayed by D'Banj) craves women and how he knows so many different attractive women, which is what almost all "hip" songs are about nowadays. However, as inappropriate the lyrics may be, there is no denying that Africanisms can be heard in the song. D'Banj inserts phrases and words in his native tongue, such as 'rebete', 'labata', 'gbedu', and etc. Polyrhythm can most definitely be heard, which is what makes the song sound complicated, and D'Banj improvises, kind of poorly, during complicated beats with sounds that just simply go with the rhythm or sounds effects that describe how a girl shakes her 'yansh'.
   No music genre is safe from being influenced by the trend of the modern age with lewd lyrics, but because music is so easily influenced, this also means that it can be changed again (hopefully, for the best). Fela Kuti first founded the genre 'Afrobeats' and used his music to get his social and political agendas across. D'Banj and Fuze ODG use their ancestor's complicated fast rhythms to talk about how girls shake their behind, but then there are also singers like Nico & Vinz who, so far, have used their African musical elements to portray the many faces of Africa and to show the rich history of the continent - that is how you should be singing and portraying Afrobeat to the world.
   Enjoy the music video below!

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Seun Kuti

   The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. Seun Kuti, also known as Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, is the youngest son of Fela Kuti and just like his father, Seun Kuti is also a musician. Seun now leads his late father's band, Egypt 80, and follows the social and political ethos that his father followed.
   Unlike his father, however, Seun focuses primarily on the saxophone and not as much on the traditional African instruments - Seun was more modern than his father, which can also be seen in his music video: in "IMF", all the men are in suits, American currency is portrayed, and corporate buildings are shown. There are still Africanisms that can be clearly heard: repetition, functionality, polyrhythm, and yelling/crying.
  Seun seems to be a bit more aggressive in getting his political and social messages across. For example in "IMF", Kuti curses and shows how groups of (what it seems like) corporate versions of him are trying to stomp on Seun. Kuti also portrays himself as a zombie after he is showered in American money. It is clear that Seun is most definitely not a fan of the U.S. and seems to blame the states for the troubles and corruption in Africa.
   Seun Kuti's music and lyrics are most definitely more extreme than his father, but the rhythm and catchiness of the songs do not deter far from his father's work. Fela Kuti's youngest son should be a force to be reckoned with in the Afrobeat music industry. Enjoy the video below!

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Nico & Vinz

   There is no doubt that Africanisms can be seen in the modern day music; the use of polyrhythms, call and response (chorus and solo), group participation, etc. can be both heard on the radio and seen at almost any music concert.
  Nico & Vinz are two singers whose names are Nico Sereba, who is of Norwegian-Ivorian descent, and Vincent Dery, who is of Norwegian-Ghanaian descent. They first debuted in 2009 as 'Envy', but then changed their names to Nico & Vinz after their hit song 'Am I Wrong' in early 2014.
   In their music video, 'Am I Wrong', they portray the many different types of African terrain and environments (desert, savanna, and jungle). Not only that, but many different Africanisms can be heard in this song, such as polyrhythm, yelling/crying, and repetition. What is refreshing is that the lyrics aren't about a girl or how a guy's got game, but about the feelings and view of a man. The music video scenery of the many different faces of Africa was very educating and a nice touch to represent the Afrobeat genre that Nico & Vinz experiment in. Enjoy the music video down below!

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Fela Kuti

   Fela Anikulapo Kuti is probably considered to be the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre of music; as mentioned in the last entry, he is founder of the word 'Afrobeat'. Kuti has definitely kept in touch with his Nigerian roots and it can be both heard in his music and seen in his shows. 

  Kuti uses his songs more than as a way to share African music to the world, but also as a way to share political messages; it is noticeable in his song titles and his lyrics. "Zombie" was a song that Kuti composed and performed as a way to attack the Nigerian soldiers. It was named 'zombie' because that was how Kuti viewed the Nigerian soldiers to be, taking orders from the government blindly. The song resulted in him being severely beaten and his mother thrown out the window sustaining fatal injuries. 

   "Zombie" sounds very jazzy because of the heavy saxophone playing, but if you listen closely, you can hear some African instruments that are played, such as the native "tinker pan" African-style percussion, shekere (a dried gourd with beads), and the muted West African-style guitar. 

  Kuti is most definitely a unique musician in that he loves to fuse ancestral African style instruments and beats with modern instruments. He is a fighter, an activist, and a musician - all in all, he is just an awesome person who is worth checking out. Enjoy the music video for "Zombie" which is down below!

Afrobeats Infleunce In Other African Countries

Afrobeats originated in Nigeria and is most popular throughout West Africa. Listening to music from selected countries such as the Congo, Mali, Sudan, etc I noticed the difference in their sounds. Other countries are more cultural/traditional with their instruments and lyrics while Afrobeat today is all about the catchy beat and encompassing lyrics about women, the finer things in life, dancing, and having a good time.  Here are some examples of countries that have been influenced by Afrobeats:

Fuse ODG- "Million Pound Girl" (Ghana)

 

Togar Howard-"Basima Basima" (Liberia)

 

 

Maleek Berry ft Wizkid-"The Matter" (Nigeria)

 

Cabo Snoop- Windeck (Angola)

 

 

Afrobeats Influence On American Music

The first song that came to mind when thinking about Afrobeats influence on American music was Wale’s “My Sweetie". Many Africans are familiar with the old school song “Let Me Love You” by Bunny Mack (Sierra Leone) but Wale decided to put a spin on it by sampling it in his hit. For those who don’t know, Wale is a Nigerian-American rapper from Maryland/DC. He’s been in the industry since 2005 and is known for his clever puns.

Here's the original by Bunny Mack:

Here's Wale's:

Rick Ross was featured on P-Square’s single “Beautiful Onyinye” which caught me by surprise when I first heard it. That infamous "M-M-M-Maybach Music" let's you know it's official! After returning from Liberia, I thought that it meant that African music had finally gone mainstream and into America, which in some aspects it did.

Fally Ipupa is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is one of the most paid African musicians. He featured Oliva (you may remember her from G-Unit or “Candy Shop” with 50 Cent) on his single "Chaise Electrique". She was actually rumored to have dated Fally Ipupa and it seems like a nice song came out of that relationship.

Although not necessarily an Afrobeat influence on this, Beyonce’s “Run the World” definitely incorporated some African tradition. In fact, the opening dance that she performed was created by Tofo Tofo, a Mozambican kwaito dance group who she flew to the US to teach her the dance and to star in her music video.

Here's Tofo Tofo performing at a wedding:

And here they go in Beyonce's video:

The Afrobeat Spotlight: Fuse ODG

   Fuse ODG (Nana Richard Abiona) is a Ghana-descent British hip-hop and Afrobeats singer.The song, "Antenna", is very upbeat with a heavy and easy-to-follow rhythm. The song shot up to number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2013.
   The song has couple Africanisms that are utilized, such as a bit of polyrhythm, repetition, and improvisation (when Fuse doesn't sing with words but with vowel-like sounds, such as 'wayo ooo'). Though it has ancestral African elements in the song, the lyrics and the instruments used make it modern. The lyrics are about a girl and how she's making Fuse go crazy from her appeal; the content is very much like most hip-hop and rap songs we listen to in the U.S.
   It is a very catchy song that makes the people just want to tap or follow the rhythm without noticing, so Fuse ODG is definitely an artist to tune into if you're into Afrobeats and or Reggae. Below is a link to the Fuse's "Antenna" music video. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY-q7Bed6DU&list=PL7hDXb4m_ctR1MZawy_7aWBrQaTL29dV5&index=3

My Korean Roots: Africanisms in Kpop and Korean Hip-Hop

   Though I am an American-born citizen, I learned Korean first and so was more familiar with the Korean culture at an early age; plus, my parents were both born in Korea, so I was mostly exposed to Korean culture at home. So, naturally, I was more prone to listening to Korean music. I liked Kpop and hip-hop growing up because it was very upbeat and rhythmic, much like the elements that make up Afrobeat. 

   Afrobeat is a combination of Ghanaian and Nigerian music, which became popular in Africa in the 70s. It was Fela Kuti that coined the actual term 'Afrobeat' to describe this mix. Some Africanisms that are used in Afrobeat (polyrhythms, call-and-response, improvisation, and repetition) and used in many songs that we hear today, including Kpop. Though the language might be different, Kpop still utilizes many of the same elements as African music. 

   Gradually, as I started attending school, I became more interested in American music, but still gravitated towards hip-hop and pop. No matter what language or culture the music might be in, the musical techniques are the same; there's a chorus that's repeated couple times, there's the main singer who sings a question, for example, and then be answered by backup singers, etc. The Africanisms in Afrobeat can be seen in almost any type of music around the world. 

                                                                                                                                                  - Joy Kim 

Afrobeat’s New Generation and Politics

Afrobeats in the 1960’s not only was entertaining music but served as a political movement under its most prominent artist Fela Kuti. Today, there are some political facets to Afrobeats though it is less political as the new generation of musicians want to focus more on pride and appealing to a broader audience. Nigeria’s various political parties have strayed the young artists from voicing their political opinion in order to keep a larger audience. Neutrality is important to keep the music broad and fun, regressing it to a party music with more modern musical elements as opposed to its more political-centric origin.

However, Fela Kuti's sons, Seun and Femi Kuti, have taken the torch and are also political activists against corrupted African governments. 

Seun Kuti: Rise

They use the genre to voice their opinion and spread awareness over the issues that affect their society. Listening to a couple of Afrobeats songs I can definitely hear how very upbeat and lively the music is. The videos are also about everyday themes like love and relationships like Tiwa Savage’s song “Eminado”. The song “Skelewu” by Davido is an example of the more modern generation with a main focus on party.

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/nigerias-afrobeats-redefining-the-sound-of-africa

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/world/africa/afrobeats-music/

Tiwa Savage: Eminado

Davido: Skelewu

-Leslie Hoyos