Seun Kuti bringing Afrobeat to YAAM Berlin

When he takes to the stage at the Young African Art Market (YAAM) venue in the European art capital, the Afrobeat artist will be following Kenyan act Eric Wainaina and members of Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes. Both acts from East Africa were hosted by YAAM last month.

This time the venue is hosting the son of Nigerian Afrobeat progenitor Fela Kuti. An official statement by the club says: “Seun Anikulapo Kuti brings back the political power Afrobeat contains.”

The younger Kuti took over the leadership of his father’s band, Egypt 80, in 1997, the year of Fela’s death. At the time, he was a teenager, and although the mantle was passed on to him in unhappy circumstances, Seun Kuti had expressed a wish to become a musician.

He joined the band shortly after and became its leader and vocalist aged 14. He has since become one of the exponents of Afrobeat music, retaining a large part of his father’s stagecraft, energy and political lyrics.

Seun Kuti has also retained a significant part of his father’s band, as, according to the statement from YAAM, “about three-quarters of the current Egypt 80 line-up consists of musicians that not only played with Fela Kuti, but often were arrested and harassed alongside the founder of the Afrobeat movement”.

The youngest son of Fela and brother of the well-known Femi has seen his brand of Afrobeat requested by listeners around the world. He has embarked on several tours of Europe and the Americas along with his band. His 2018 album, Black Times, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music category.

For more information about the Seun Kuti concert, see here. See the YAAM calendar here.