Origins and Spread of Afrobeat

Beginning as a genre with origins in West African rhythms, jazz, and funk, Afrobeat has become a globally recognized genre adopted by dozens of artists. This is the story of how it all started and where the music has traveled.

1

Fela Kuti is born in 1938

Kuti, known as "the king of Afrobeat", was born in Abeokuta, a city outside of Lagos, Nigeria. The musician spent most of his later life in Lagos.

2

Kuti studies at London School of Music

While studying in London between 1957-1963, Fela Kuti became immersed in the city's thriving jazz scene. He loved jamming with the musicians he met, and started to incorporate jazz into his own musical life.

3

Kuti travels to Los Angeles

In 1969, Fela Kuti went to Los Angeles and came into contact with members of the Black Panther party. He learned about Malcolm X and also became enthralled with American funk music.

4

Characteristics of Afrobeat

As Fela Kuti's musical career progressed, he began to compose and play music in a genre that he himself was slowly forming: Afrobeat. Music of this genre often has lyrics sung in West African languages that include political commentary. It takes after the extended length of jazz tunes, and incorporates call-and-response and repetitiveness typical of Ghanaian and Nigerian music. All of these characteristics display how Kuti was influenced by many different musical traditions, including ones that were close to home and ones that were continents away.

5

Afrobeat origins and Africa 70 performances in Ghana

Ghanaian beats are highly evident in Afrobeat music. Some have even argued that the genre originated in Ghana in the 1920s when Ghanaians began incorporating foxtrot and calypso into their rhythms. In the late 60s, Fela Kuti and several others formed a band that they later named Africa 70. This band gave concerts all throughout Nigeria and Ghana, and released several Afrobeat albums.

6

Tony Allen

Allen is considered Afrobeat's first drummer. He was one of the forming members of Africa 70, and continued on Kuti's legacy, bringing rise to the sub-genre of Afrofunk. Allen was born in Lagos, but spent much of his career working in Paris, France.

7

Final Africa 70 Performance

Fela Kuti's final live performance was in Berlin, Germany in 1978. It was the last time that all the Africa 70 band members played together before internal disputes pushed them apart.

8

William Onyeabor

William Onyeabor was a popular Nigerian musician whose musical output has been characterized as Afrobeat. His music was heavily rhythmic and synthesized. The artist was most popular in the late 70s and early 80s before he completely distanced himself from music after becoming a born-again Christian.

9

Talking Heads

This American rock band incorporated, pop, funk, and world music styles into their work. Their 1980 album "Remain in Light" was especially influenced by Fela Kuti and his own genre, Afrobeat. The band was led by David Byrne and produced by Brian Eno, and was most popular in the early 1980s.

10

Antibalas

This Brooklyn-based band incorporated both Cuban and Afrobeat styles into their music. The band arranged and performed the music in the 2008 Broadway musical Fela!––a celebration of Kuti's life. Antibalas was most popular in the late 90s and early 2000s.

11

Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela Collaboration

Masekela was a famous South African musician. He recorded an album in collaboration with drummer Tony Allen in 2010, titled "Rejoice." It was only just released in 2020. Though it was released decades after Fela Kuti's new genre began to be performed, many of the songs on rejoice are clearly Afrobeat-inspired.


Works Cited

Bender, Wolfgang. “Afrobeat.” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051694?rskey=CtSVbD#omo-9781561592630-e-0000051694-bibliography-1. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

Denselow, Robin. “Tony Allen: Afrobeat’s Master on Hugh Masekela, Damon Albarn and Friction with Fela Kuti.” The Guardian, 19 Mar. 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/19/tony-allen-afrobeats-master-on-hugh-masekela-damon-albarn-and-friction-with-fela-kuti. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.

Festspiele, Berliner. “Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Africa 70.” Berliner Festspiele, BMG Rights Management GmbH, https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/berliner-festspiele/programm/bfs-gesamtprogramm/programmdetail_356463.html.

Lynskey, Dorian. “William Onyeabor: One of Music’s Most Insoluble Puzzles to the End.” The Guardian, 18 Jan. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/18/who-was-william-onyeabor-nigerian-synthesizer-whiz.

MasterClass. “Guide to Afrobeat Music: A Brief History of Afrobeat.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 16 July 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/afrobeat-music-guide#what-is-afrobeat.

Mylez, Buddy. “Afrobeat: The African Sound Evolves.” The Music Origins Project, Urban Universe Productions, 15 Jan. 2020, https://www.musicorigins.org/afrobeat-evolves/.

O'Connor, Blake. “The History of Afrobeat.” Beat, Creatd, Inc., 2018, https://vocal.media/beat/the-history-of-afrobeat. 

Stewart, Alexander. “Make It Funky: Fela Kuti, James Brown and the Invention of Afrobeat.” American Studies., vol. 52, no. 4, University of Kansas, 2013.

Lily Mitzel

World Music 2021