STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF AFROBEAT MUSIC OF FELA ANIKULAPO KUTIAlbert Oikelome PhD.University Of Lagos, Akoka YabaABSTRACTAfrobeat, pioneered by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has been globally acclaimed as a uniquepopular musical typology which emerged from the continent of Africa. Although variousstudies have addressed its philosophical, sociological and linguistic perspectives, not much hasbeen devoted to its stylistic study. There is therefore the need to undertake a stylistic analysis ofAfrobeat music with the view to understanding the fragments that has been intelligently woventogether to make the music a unique phenomenon. In doing this, we would identify theprinciples underlying the formation of Afrobeat. This will assist us in understanding the identitythat distinguishes it from the mainstream of world music. Afrobeat, like every cultural productevolved from other styles. The challenge then is to identify these styles and see how Feláincorporated them into a distinctive genre called Afrobeat. This will help in better appreciationof the forms and structure of the musical genre. The study will also situate Felá’s music intofour artistic periods and analyse structural elements of the music. Samples drawn from each ofthe periods would be orchestrated and analyzed using the western from of music notation inorder to establish the structure, form and compositional techniques of the composer Theoutcome of the study will define some standard features of Afrobeat genre and articulate someof the theories which could serve as a framework for further specialized studies of other relatedpopular music genres.Keywords: Stylistic elements, music genre, Afrobeat, fusion, hybridity.IntroductionAfrobeat, unique musical typology in the mainstream of popular music in Nigeria, hassuccessfully transcended the local hemisphere thereby creating a new identity in both form andcontent with its unique instrumental sound, textual content and social fusion. What then isAfrobeat? In simplest terms, it is a coinage of two words; “Afro” and “Beat”. The word “Afro”is the acronym of African organized sound while beat is a rhythmic counting pattern in relationto such music. However various definitions by several scholars agreed that the musicalsynthesis presented in this genre is defined by a fussion of foreign elements with a sociostylisticmusical framework whose roots lie in traditional Yoruba music. According to Omibiyi(1981) Afrobeat is a fussion of soul music, European roots and Indian reggae. Akpabot (1986)defined Afrobeat as a fussion of conventional European dance band music with a rhythmic beatthat entirely reflected new echoes of the Cuban music beat. While Oguigbe (2003) on the onehand defined the genre as Felá’s interpretation of the fussion of African and Afro-Americanmusic which dominated the music scene in the early sixties, Collins (2002) sees the music as afussion of stylistic elements drawn both from Felá’s popular and traditional music culture, andfrom African-American popular styles, with heavy overtones of Afro-Latin music and modaljazz. To further buttress the way Felá was able to refashion many conventions of AfricanAmerican music within a West African cultural context, Veal (2004) remarked:In Felá’s music, I recognised unmistakable echoes of diasporic African musicinnovators and styles: James Brown, John Coltrane, modal jazz band, funk,rhythm and blues, and salsa. At the same time, I recognised an overall spiritand use of many musical devises associated with West African music: tightlywoven rhythmic pattern, vocal chants, call and response choruses, and anoverall percussive approach to articulation among others (p. 34).This is in line with Graham’s (1992) definition of fussion as a merger, or the resultingblend of musical styles or elements from more than one tradition. Ware (2006) posited further

that the major success of Felá Aníkúlápò Kútì is its fussion and blend which communicatesbeyond boundaries. From the foregoing definitions, it is clear that Afrobeat is a confluence ofmusical elements from various musical typologies. This, according to Potgieter (2003) is thefact that musical cultures are being influenced by each other in a modern and complex world.Prior studies have considered Afrobeat from the historical, sociological, philosophical,linguistic and political perspectives (Moore, 1982; Coester, 1997; Ayu, 1985; Veal, 2004;Oláníyan, 2004; Coker, 2004; Olorúnyomí 2005). However, the political intensity of his musicas well as the intellectual orientation of the style relied significantly on a sophisticatedcompositional style in which foreign musical elements were woven with traditional Africanmusic to constitute a larger original form. There is therefore a need for the stylistic analysis ofthe music since little has been done in this aspect. This has become imperative when notablescholars like Omibiyi (1981) and Akpabot (1998) have advocated that African popular musicshould attract, to a very large extent, scholarly enquiries on analysis of its forms and styles. Thepresent study investigates the various components that made up Afrobeat. More specifically, weseek to examine how Afrobeat evolved as a blend of foreign and indigenous music genres.For a better understanding of the stylistic analysis of Afrobeat music, the theoreticalframework is based on the concept of identity. Waterman (2002) used this concept to explainthe social role of music in postcolonial Africa. This concept, according to Waterman, hasrelated concepts of the ‘self’ and the ‘person’. The ‘self’ is commonly represented as theinternal face of the identity that is subjective, psychologically unified and real while the‘person’ refers to the external, socially constructed, represented and enacted identity of theindividual. Using the model on Yoruba music, Waterman views identity as a multidimensionalproduct of interaction between self and the society. He evolved the concept of the ‘inner’ andthe ‘outer’ eye. The inner eye (Ojú inú) is the locus of contemplation, imagination andcreativity while the outer eye (Ojú òde) is the primary social organ, the locus of self-expressionand the tactics of self-construction through interaction with others. The theory stated in theforegoing, is very relevant to the study in that a strong model of the ‘self’ is embodied in FeláAníkúlápò Kútì. The combination of the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ surface of his identity was central tohis authority as a musician. His artistic development sailed through conservatory music,broadcasting, highlife, highlife jazz, and finally Afrobeat. Felá’s rise to fame was through apainstaking process of self-recognition, self-worth, dedication and thoughtful projection. Theseattributes ignited him to explore the creative potentialities which are inherent in his musictradition and to recombine foreign elements in a new order that would not be a departure from,but an enhancement of the revolutionary process and continuity of his musical tradition.The methods employed in collecting data on Felá Aníkúlápò Kútì and his works includedin-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), key informant technique and life historiesand biographies. The stylistic elements inherent in the music were investigated under fourartistic periods and samples drawn from each of the periods were selected and analysed in orderto establish the foreign and indigenous styles incorporated into the music.Afrobeat: Its origin and developmentThe origin and development of Afrobeat cannot be complete without Felá Aníkúlápò Kútì.Born on October 15, 1938 to the family of Reverend Israel Olúdòtun Ransome-Kútì (1900-1955) and Mrs. Fúnmiláyò Thomas Ransome-Kútì (1900-1978) at Abéòkuta in Yorubaland,Felá manifested at an early age not only his budding musical talent, but also a tendency towardsactivism. This can be traced to the type of training he received from his elite parents who werealso activists at one point or the other in their lives. His father was one of the founders of theNigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and a constant critic of the colonial masters. He was also aprolific composer of religious hymns and he is credited with being the author and composer of

the Abéòkuta-Ègbá Anthem (Moore, 1982). From all accounts, Felá’s first introduction to thestudy of music was from his father whose strict discipline and authoritarian personality did notdiminish off in the area of music teaching. According to Coker (2004), Felá excelled under hisfather’s tutelage at his lessons in western music and distinguished himself as a musician at anearly age. He was occasionally called upon to entertain his parents and their guests at the familypiano by the time he was eight years old, by which time, Felá had gained competence in theability to play music from the written score (Oroh, 1988).Interestingly, the mother also had a strong influence on his life when he wasgrowing up. She was a social and political activist, constantly fighting for the liberation of thedisenfranchised women in a conservative, male-dominated society (Coker, 2004). She foundedthe Abéòkuta Women Union in 1946 in response to the atrocities of the colonial governmentagainst market women, particularly in Abéòkuta. She was also highly involved in politics,traveling round the globe and aligning herself with International Women’s Movements.Felá graduated from Abeokuta Grammar School in 1957 at the age of eighteen, ayear after the death of his father3. He proceeded to Lagos where he was offered employment asa clerical officer with the ministry of commerce and industry. However, his interest remained inmusic. Felá’s first professional musical experience was as a backing vocalist in Olaiya’s bandcalled the Cool Cats. Oláìyá attested to the fact that Felá joined his band with prior knowledgeof music and a keen desire to learn the trumpet. Commenting to Uhakheme (1997) on thepersonality of Fela in the early sixties, Olaiya had this to say:…Fela was a very restless and a very bigrascal… I found traces of greatnessin him…he had the tendency ofgoing places ( pp. 12-20).At the age of nineteen in August of 1958, Felá was able to convince his mother (his fatherhad died in 1955) to go abroad to study music. With the help of his brother, Olíkóyè Ransome-Kútì1, he was able to secure admission into Trinity College of Music in London. While inLondon, he received musical training at the Trinity College of Music with emphasis on thetheoretical and the practical aspects of western music and performance. According to Omójolà(2006) Felá was the most important musician of popular music genre in modern Nigeria to havebeen trained in a formal music institution, the prestigious Trinity College of Music, London.The musical training he received in the college accelerated his musical sophistication, thusproviding him with easier access to styles that were difficult to obtain back home in Africa. Hispopular music experience in London started with the formation of a highlife group calledhighlife Rakers. Later on, the group’s name was changed to Koola Lobitos. The major influenceon Fela’s musical style was his association with jazz exponents like Miles David, Lee Morgan,and Clifford Brown. In later years, jazz became a crucial ingredient in Fela’s music, while thesymbol of “jazz” became a complicated and contested signifier later in his career.He had a stint with highlife and jazz upon his return from Europe. However, his earlierexperiment with highlife when he returned from London in 1964 did not yield much desiredresult. His earlier intention to provide a wide range of music including highlife and jazz led to abig failure. The reason for the lack of acceptance by the people was clear. Highlife was alreadya popular music genre in Lagos with such popular artistes as Bobby Benson, Roy Chicago,Victor Oláìyá, Rex Lawson, Eddie Okonta, Victor Uwaifo and many others performing inLagos night clubs. These musicians were already drawing the crowds and making waves inhighlife. Felá confessed that even his own mother, after listening to his performance advisedhim to “start playing music your people understand, not jazz” (Veal, 2004). Unable to cope withthe dwindling fortune of his career, he left for Ghana in 1967 and thereupon started plottingstrategies for a new musical direction. It was there he christened his style of music as

“Afrobeat”. He returned to Nigeria that same year and founded Afrospot where he performedregularly to his fans.The turning point in his career came in 1969 with a musical tour of America atthe peak of the Nigerian civil war. There he met and fell in love with Sandra Smith, a BlackPanther and civil rights activist who radically altered his political vision. Sandra Smithintroduced Fela to a number of political and musical ideas that broadened his world view. Shegave him the much needed education about Africa, the heritage of the black and the civil rightsmovement. He heard for the first time things he had never known before about Africa. For thefirst time in his professional and ideological development, Felá began to think about such largeissues about Africa, the world, culture and identity (Moore, 1982). He became familiar withpolitical and cultural figures such as the Black Panthers, Kwame Toure, Angela Davies, MartinLuther King, Elijah Muhammad, Jesse Jackson, and Malcolm X. This led to his change inmusical direction and a further embrace of Pan-Africanism using Afrobeat music as a weaponof struggle and political emancipation.On his return from America, Fela released a hit album entitled London Scene in 1970 andin 1971, changed the name of his band from “Nigeria 70” to the “Africa 70” while his clubAfrospot, became Africa Shrine. By the time Fela released the chartbuster Jeun K’ôkú in 1971,his position as the king of Afrobeat has been established.The development of Afrobeat of Felá Aníkúlápò Kútì can be grouped into four artisticperiods. The first period was his experience with highlife in the early 60’s (1964 – 1969). Thesecond period was in the 1970’s when his music was at its apogee. At this time, his ideologicalstance had taken shape and become sufficiently concretised for him to successfully fuse anequally new musical vision with political commitment (1970 – 1976). The third period was thepost-1976 confrontation with the military, which so engaged him to the point that dealing withthe military became the primary goal of his artistic expression (1977-1989).The final period was the re-ordering of his tunes into more of ‘yabis’2 and chants (1990-1997).The FussionIn musical terms, Afrobeat clearly draws upon jazz, blues, soul, funk, afro latin, highlifeand folksong elements and grafts them all into a West African rhythmic template. In whatfollows, we shall now examine these elements from 10 selected compositions spanning the fourartistic periods of the music. These include Ojà Òyìngbò (1964) Olólùfé mi (1967), Abiara(1969), Jeun K’ôkú (1970), Gbagádá gbogòdò (1971), Unknown Soldier (1979), Why Blackman dey suffer (1986) Beast of No Nation (1989) Just like that (1990) and Confusion BreakBone (1990)1. Ojà Òyìngbò is rooted in highlife conventions. The features include the use ofrepetitive melody based on western tonal system of the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chordstructure. The complex improvisation of the horns solo and the band’s blaring horns section arecharacteristics of jazz music. Built on the pentatonic scale, the lyrics of the song containYorùbá proverbs and idiomatic expressions based on a call and response pattern. In all, we havehighlife, jazz and folksongs incorporated in this song as excerpted below:Text in Yoruba InterpretationGbogbo oun tí e se fún wa All that you have done for usàwon t’ó nfé wa ó dùn mó won is appreciated by our fansÀwa ò bínú enìkan We are not angry with anyonebóyá ènìyán nbínú wa àwa ò mò dont know if anyone is angry with usojà òyìngbò kò mò p’énìkan ò wá o Oyingbo market is always fullb’ókò kan ò re ejìrìn If a truck refuses to go on a journey

egbegbèrún rè á lo A thousand or more willsùgbón t’a bá sé wón o If we have offended you eldersàgbàgbà wón á f’orí jì wá o awo Do forgive usThe First Artistic Period1964-1969The Second Artistic Period1970-1976The Third Artistic Period1977-1989The fourth Artistic Period1990-19972. Olólùfé miThree genres are identified in this composition- blues, highlife and jazz. The structuralpattern of the song is a basic twelve-bar lyric framework with highlife flavour. There is also astrong use of harmony from jazz idiom through the arrangement of the horns and theimprovisation from the trumpet and saxophone. Furthermore, the Yoruba vocal style wasemployed in the vocal delivery. The song is transcribed below:

Voice O lo

- - lu - fe mi,

ti e

ni mo fe

O lo

- - lu - fe mi,

ti e

ni mo

3 3 3 35

fe

A la

- - yan - fe mi

mi o se

ti won mo

O lo

- - lu - fe

3338

mi

ti e

ni mo fe

wa f'e - nu ko

mi l'e - nu

wa f'a - ra ro

mi l'a - ra o

3

Text in Yoruba TranslationOlólùfé mi My sweet darlingTì e ni mo fé. It is you I wantAláyànfé mi My chosen onemi ò se ti won mó I do not belong to them anymoreOlólùfé mi My sweet darlingTì e ni mo fé. It is you I wantWá fenu kò mí lénu Come and kiss meWá fara kò mí lára Come to my sweet embrace3. AbiaraThe song conforms with the stylistic structure of highlife in the 60’s with an instrumentalintroduction, elaborate interlude and an abrupt ending. The horn arrangement in Abiara ispurely in salsa style with highly syncopated percussive rhythm. The bass line has elements of

syncopated soul bass patterns. The tune used in the bridge segment of Abiara (wansaraleya)was a salsa piece adapted from the tune Guantanamera3 as seen in line seven of the lyricsbelow:Text in Yoruba TranslationAbíára. Èrù re mà nbà mí o Abiara. I am afraid of youMá mà fé mi láya do not take my wifeMá mà fé mi lálè Do not take my mistressÈmi ò ní gbà sé o I will not take it from youl’area yí o in this areaAbíára AbiaraWansaraleya! Abiara Wansaraleya Wansaraleya! Abiara WansaraleyaThe interlude section as infused with jazz improvisation which culminated with a bluesderived dominant seventh bar shout chorus. In all, there is a fussion of soul, jazz, blues andhighlife integrated with Yoruba vocal style.The three songs were composed at the early stage of Afrobeat (1964-1969).The stylisticcharacteristics of Fela’s song during this period of developments included the fussion ofhighlife medium with jazz, blues, Afro-Latin forms, and African traditional music.4. Jeun K’ôkúJeun K’ôkú was Felá’s first attempt at composing Afrobeat with injection of funkelements. Veal (2004) observed that Afrobeat has a distinct similarity to James Brown’s brandof funk, with its staccato, syncopated bass lines and scratchy sounding rhythm guitar. Examplesare screams and grunts present in the vocal section and the introductory horn theme. Thepercussion section of Jeun K’ôkú was based on a steady 4 beat bar with highlife beats.Furthermore, jazz was featured consistently in the interlude sections featuring the saxophoneand the organ. The African element was manifest in the vocal arrangement of call and responseformat in the vocal section illustrated below:Text in Yoruba TranslationCall: Onígbèsè Debtor!Response: E bá mi le lo Help me to chase him away!Call: Olè Thief!Response: E bá mi le lo Chase him away!Call: Jàgùdà Scoundrel!Response: E bá mi le lo Chase him away!The overall elements identified in the song are funk, jazz, highlife, and African traditionalmusic. Jeun K’ôkú is transcribed below:\Text in Yoruba TranslationChop and quench ó dé Behold, the gluttonWaki and die ó dé Behold, the gluttonMo gbé obè sílè ó la tán o I provided soup he ate it all upMo gbé isu sílè ó je tán o I provided yam, he ate it all upMo gbé eran sílè ó je tán o I provided meat and he ate it all upei e ba mi le lo o Please, help me send him awayOlè! E bá mi le lo o Thief! Help me send him awayE bá mi le kúrò ní’lé mi o e Send him away from my house5. Gbagádá gbogòdòThe song has at the introduction, a massive injection of funk idiom in the horn section, ajazz improvisation, a persuasive highlife idiom and Yoruba folk song. Felá derived the folksong

from Nigerian folk tradition drawn from Egbá culture. Major characteristics of this folksonginclude its relative simplicity, usually in a call and response form and the use of the pentatonicscale.

Bi e ba

ngbo gba

ga da gba

ga da

bi e ba

ngbo gbo

go dogbo

go do E

ma ya so

tun

4

e ma ya so

si

I le o lo

wo lo

ro n gba

lo o gun a du

bi so

ju u re

ja

o gun a du

bi

7

le lo po lo

po

I wo ni kan

lo da pa

so ja me

fa

o ro o wo

mo ko

pa da se

hin

ko pa da se hin ko 10

wafe webo

ra I ya a re nke lo

bi e wu

re

baba a re

nke lo

bi a pa

ro

I wo

na

nbe lo

bi I ga

la

o mi I re

ke

14

le mu

nse be

lemunse be letun nfi n ro mo o ya o

e ni o mo

wun o ya

ka lo

o The funk idiom is evident in the easy rhythmic flow of the percussion section, thechopping, shuttering guitars, and the blaring syncopated horns. The horn section in the music isjuxtaposed with the solo instrument in a call and response format, characteristic of all African-American derived genres. One can find some phrases traceable to James Brown in this musicwhich includes the screams and the grunts. The rhythm guitar, inspired by jazz, played aprominent role in this song. The final section of the song featured the lead voice imitating thebass guitar, a typical blues style. In all, we have funk, jazz, highlife, blues and folksongsincorporated into the music.Song 4 (Jeun ko ku) and 5 (Gbagada gbogòdò) were written in the early seventies with alater injection of funk to the already existing fussion. He placed much emphasis on percolatingrhythm, percussive horn riffs, and declamatory vocals giving the song a starker, moreaggressive and rough-hewn tone.6. Unknown SoldierThis song remains one of Fela’s soulful tunes till date. The characteristic element of soulmusic is the strong emotional quality of the vocals, set to a subdued mid-tempo rhythmicpattern. The song featured Felá singing in a soul-influenced style where he took up alamentation on account of the attack on his house and the death of his mother:…Dem throw my mama78 year old mamaPolitically mamaIdeological mama

Influential looking mamaDem throw my mamaout of from windowDem kill my mama (7x)…That my mama wey you killShe fought for universal adult suffrageThat my mama wey you killShe is the only mother of Nigeria…Which kind injustice is this?Wetin concern government insideIf not Unknown SoldierOther elements which made up the music include nonsensical syllables and nuances ofpitch (funk), modal scale (jazz) and the arrangement of the horns section in funk style. The songalso has blues elements of vocal imitation of drum rhythms (blues) and African-derivedrhythmic pattern.7. Why Black Man Dey SufferThis song had elements of folk tradition, jazz, soul and funk. The song started with thedrum rhythm of the orò cult. In the introduction, Felá acknowledged the rhythm when he said:“This music is called Koginikókó used in some particular kind of shrines in my home townAbéòkuta City”. After this, he vocalized the rhythm of the chant in a call and response asillustrated below:Felá : Koginikókó KoginijèjèChorus: Koginikókó KoginijèjèFelá : Koginikókó KoginijèjèChorus: Koginikókó KoginijèjèThe fussion of soul is evident in the lyrics which celebrate pride of the African heritageand the need to resist any form of slavery from the western imperialists. Jazz improvisation isevident in the organ and the saxophone, and the arrangement of the horns section in funk style.A major innovation to the vocal lines of song 6 (Unknown Soldier) and 7 (Why BlackMan Dey Suffer) was in the length. Unknown Soldier is 45 minutes in length whiles “WhyBlack Man Dey Suffer” was 37 minutes. This characterised the music in the third artisticperiod. Furthermore, there was the introduction of extended passages to chorus singing and theintegration of choral lines into the horn arrangements in both songs.8. Beast of No NationThis song contains funk elements present in the rhythm guitar and jazz element in theorgan and horns improvisations. The African traditional musical elements consist of idiomaticexpressions used in every day language of the common man on the streets. This is presented ina call and response format excerpted below:Call:Ò’fèsé-lûResponse:àyàkàtàCall :Ò’fèsé - g’bônResponse:àyàkàtàCall :Ò’fèsé –wônResponse:àyàkàtàCall :Ò’fèsé -gbênThe elements of soul music in this song include the use of the moan and melissmaexemplified in the excerpt below:

Bas - ket mouth want start

to lick

a - gain o

Another distinct element in Beast of No Nation is the use of an Urhobo word in the song.This fussion, according to Fágbohùn (1994) is a linguistic concept called code mixing. In thiscontext, we have the mixture of Yorùbá, English, Pidgin English and Urhobo language:Beast of No Nation EgbékégbéBeast of No Nation OturugbekeEgbékégbé is a Yoruba language while Oturugbeke is an Urhobo language used asexclamation.9. Just Like That“Just Like That” was written at the final artistic period that could be the maturedmanifests of Afrobeat. The music presents elements of funk in the horns section, blues by thevocal imitations of the bass lines at the middle section, and African folk music by the use ofdrum bass rhythm in the call and response format. Ecstatic shouts and loud cheers by Felá andhis singers are evidence of African traditional music. The song is excerpted below:Call: ÀkúbàResponse: Òrányàn!Like soul music, the treatment of stanza three of the lyrics in this song is based on theconcept of the pride of the African heritage. Attesting to this fact, Donald (1995) remarked:…soul is the projection in song of a new feeling of black dignity, selfrespect, and militancy (p.230)The excerpt below admonishes Africans to look inwards for development instead ofdepending on Europe and America:We in Africa we must to think our ownIn our tradition where human beings and nature growWhere creativity and understanding must to beRight now, think now fight now on how suffer must to stop10. Confusion Break BoneThere is the massive use of the African traditional elements in this music. This is inconsonance with the description of Nweke (1997) who remarked that:Afrobeat has a relative reliance on the fussion of Yoruba traditional music, thebass guitar with the drums playing a driving role; liberating musical innovations; Calland response element, which is an integral ingredient in African music (p.81)The music starts with the arrangement of the horns section in a typical highlife and jazzstyle. At various intervals, Felá improvises on the organ with folkloric tunes while the hornsection interjects at cadential points. The chorus section is patterned after African chorustraditions:Deadi bodi geti accidenti. Yee pa!Confusion breaki boni. Yepa!Na double wahala for deadi bodiAnd the owner of deadi bodi

Double wahala for deadi bodi….Fragments of African melodies are used in the instrument section as improvisations in ajazz format. Felá also made use of several musical fragments from Egbá chants. Thecharacteristic trait of the composition is the use of rhythms that bears the semblance of religiouspossession dances. The song is introduced by intricate rhythms from the drums followed by theinstruments with the horns in a funk style. At the middle of the song, there is an interlude withFelá playing the African drums with a higher intensity and ecstatic shouts from back up singersat the background:Pàmpàlà. b’ô lo o yàLárúdú repekerepeke LárúLárúdú repekeLarudu repeke, repeke LárúOwó ‘lé la ó lò a ò ma yá ‘wó fi se oLárúdú repeke repeke LárúA striking feature of the instrumental section in this song is the incorporation of theAtumpan in percussion ensemble. The Atumpan is a set of two drums from the Akan region ofGhana. The first which is high pitched is the female while the second is low pitched is the male,and has a jingling metal called the akasaa fixed on it. It tingles anytime the drum is struck. TheAtumpan drum plays elaborate rhythmic patterns superimposed on other instruments.Furthermore, it is used to heighten the performance during vocal interlude.The analysed songs reveal Fela’s creative ingenuity in fussing several genres of music tomake up Afrobeat. Although jazz, soul, funk etc are foreign; they are derived from Africanmusic. In connection with this assertion, Thompson (1983) concluded that much of the popularmusic of the world grew from the spirit of certain people specially armed with improvisatorydrive and brilliance, referring to, the people of African origin. Confirming this in an interviewwith Watrous (1989), Felá remarked:I played a lot of jazz in the beginning of my career because it had a lot ofcultural information that enriched my mind…I found a heavy relationship betweenthat music and my culture…I used this knowledge to penetrate into the culture ofmy people (p. 23)Elements such as improvisation, the use of modal scales, cyclic patterns and rhythmicstratifications, which feature regularly in Felá’s music, are African elements. The musicalresources borrowed from the foreign field have been adapted, reformulated and reconfigured toharmonize with African music practice.Future of AfrobeatAfrobeat has assumed a new dimension since the passage of Felá Aníkúlápò Kútì. In thefirst place, the music has become an established genre all over the world. Felá’s two sons; Fémiand Seun are continuing in their father’s tradition of playing every week in the New Africanshrine and staging concerts around the world thus promoting Afrobeat at home and abroad.Femi is also training his first son, Madé, in the field, thus ensuring continuity of the music tothe next generation.Secondly, variants of Afrobeat are evolving with upcoming musicians giving moderninterpretations to Fela’s Afrobeat music. Prominent among these are the hip-hop4, theyahoozee5, the gospel6, the galala7, and the makosa8 variants of Afrobeat. Others like Lágbájá9,Sèyí Sholágbadé, and Bantu10are still keeping with the Afrobeat traditions with massive fussionof rock elements into their music. The technological advancement in music has been utilized byAfrobeat artistes to their advantage. Even though Felá did not make use of studio effects in his

Felá Aníkúlápò KútìFemi Kútì Seun KútìMade Kútìrecordings, the present Afrobeat musicians are utilizing the advanced technology in studiotechnique to create equally entertaining music. Afrobeat musicians from abroad like theAntibalas make use of massive studio effects thus giving it a mass appeal among the youths anddownplaying the big band tradition of Felá. To further buttress this point, Olorúnyomí (2006) inan oral interview, states:I foresee the reduction of the big band tradition. With the reductionof the big band tradition, chances are that the structure and style ofthe music is also going to be affected. We may not necessarily havethe Felá theme in terms of the structure and the time sequence butthe overall texture will be retained. This is already happeningamong the new Afrobeat musicians, especially outside of Nigeria.This is because it is difficult to sustain a band of Fela’s size inEurope.The reduction of the big band tradition is made possible with the advent of digitaltechnology and studio effects in music production.A fraternity of common grounds now exists between Afrobeat artistes and other popularmusicians. The cold war and battle for relevance that pervaded the music scene during Fela’stime seem to be abating as Nigerian popular musicians now share a common platform toperform their songs irrespective of the typology or differences in message. This is madepossible through the yearly Afrobeat remembrance concert /festival both in Nigeria and Euro-America. The concert in Europe is tagged “Republicafrobeat”. Established in August 2002, theprogramme was initiated by a small group of Afrobeat fans in Madrid. In Nigeria, thecommemoration concert was tagged “Felabration”.With the benefit of hindsight, there will be much development in Afrobeat music in thenear future. Since we have exponents springing up from all over the world, there is no doubtthat the fusion of the music will include materials from other countries where the genre is beingperformed. The lyrical content of Afrobeat will receive a deviation from the massive politicalmessages typical of Felá’s Afrobeat. At present, there is the down-playing of political songs infavour of love songs. An example is the Antibalas Afrobeat group in New York. They startedwith oppositional music but met with brick walls with their listening audience who wantedmusic for relaxation instead of war. By the time the second album came out, they were more onlove themes with danceable tunes. Fémi Kútì also attested to the fact that he was not going towaste his time using his music to fight a “deaf and dumb regime”. He would rather concentratehis energy on developing his music rather than politics. However, a number of Fémi’s worksare dedicated to political and social issues.ConclusionThis paper has attempted a stylistic analysis of Fela’s Afrobeat.From the analysis,it is evident that Afrobeat genre was derived primarily from the fussion of such genres as jazz,soul blues, funk, and Afro Latin music (which were African derived) with African musicaltraditions. Felá had acquired knowledge of and skill in the performance of these idioms duringhis early years at home in Nigeria and in Europe. It is therefore the position of this paper thatfurther research on Fela’s works and other musical derivatives which enriched Afrobeat arenecessary to generate documentation expedient for a holistic understanding of the musicmaestro and his impact on the music world.End Notes

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