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			[[File:MuGlobe-5eeb2a9394cc572e.jpg\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=Fela Kuti, 1970.\|Fela Kuti, 1970.<br />Image: derivative work: [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Klausness Klausness] ([https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Klausness ✍]) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WA%C3%8FPA_FELA_KUTI.JPG WAÏPA_FELA_KUTI.JPG]: MOI MEME. [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 CC BY-SA 3.0]. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fela_Kuti.jpg Source].]]

	== Summary ==		== Summary ==
	Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938–1997) was a Nigerian bandleader, composer, singer and instrumentalist central to the creation of [[Afrobeat]]. His work brought extended dance grooves, collective improvisation and political address into a distinctive large-ensemble form.<ref name="fela-estate">[https://felakuti.com/about Fela Kuti: official biography and timeline]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>		Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938–1997) was a Nigerian bandleader, composer, singer and instrumentalist central to the creation of [[Afrobeat]]. His work brought extended dance grooves, collective improvisation and political address into a distinctive large-ensemble form.<ref name="fela-estate">[https://felakuti.com/about Fela Kuti: official biography and timeline]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

Edb: Artist encyclopedia batch004: sourced musician/group profiles and incoming artist links, requested by Ed

2026-10-23T19:24:12Z

Artist encyclopedia batch004: sourced musician/group profiles and incoming artist links, requested by Ed

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== Summary ==
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938–1997) was a Nigerian bandleader, composer, singer and instrumentalist central to the creation of [[Afrobeat]]. His work brought extended dance grooves, collective improvisation and political address into a distinctive large-ensemble form.<ref name="fela-estate">[https://felakuti.com/about Fela Kuti: official biography and timeline]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

== Life and career ==
Born in Abeokuta, Fela studied music in London and first worked with [[Jazz|jazz]] and [[Highlife|highlife]]. Lagos became the center of his later musical institutions, including the Afrika Shrine. His confrontations with Nigeria's military regimes made performance, recording and the organization of a musical community inseparable parts of his public career.<ref name="fela-estate" />

== Music and style ==
The mature sound draws together West African dance-band resources, jazz, [[Funk|funk]] and [[Soul|soul]]. Guitars, bass, percussion and horns sustain complementary patterns while solos and vocal responses change the texture. The influence of [[Tony Allen]] belongs within that musical architecture: the drum parts actively shape the groove rather than merely keeping time. Fela's contribution extended into the work of [[Femi Kuti]], [[Seun Kuti]] and ensembles abroad, including [[Antibalas]].<ref name="fela-hall">[https://rockhall.com/inductees/fela-kuti/ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Fela Kuti]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref><ref name="fela-collab">[https://felakuti.com/legacy/collaborations Fela Kuti: collaborations and band history]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

== Works and performances ==
''Gentleman'', ''Zombie'' and the recordings with Africa 70 and Egypt 80 provide routes into different periods of the music. The ensemble identity and the circumstances of a performance matter alongside the famous song titles. His sons' later bands continue parts of that institutional history while making their own recordings.<ref name="fela-estate" />

<references />

Fela Kuti - Revision history

Edb: Add a sourced, licensed illustration with creator credit and license link

Edb: Artist encyclopedia batch004: sourced musician/group profiles and incoming artist links, requested by Ed