Fela From West Africa to West Broadway [Paperback]

Combine elements of Bob Marley, Malcolm X and Patrice Lumumba you get a sense of the power of the world's wildest rockstar. Fela created Afrobeat, an infectious mix of American funk and jazz with traditional Yoruba and highlife music, and used it to rail against the corrupt, hypocritical Nigerian government. Repeatedly targeted by police and military for his rebellious, counter-culture lifestyle, he created a political party and seceded from the Nigerian state, renaming his commune the independent Kalakuta Republic. Cultural icon and beloved hero of the pan-African world, Fela loomed large: captivating enormous crowds with electric performances (in Speedos or superfly suits), cherished by musicians from Paul McCartney to Mos Def, mourned by millions after his death from AIDS in 1997. These essays explore his fiery life and ever-growing legacy.

Introduction--Trevor Schoonmaker * The Father, the Sons, and the Holy Ghost--Knox Robinson * Fela: African who Sang and Saw Tomorrow--Mabinuori Kayode Idowu, aka ID * Power Music, Electric Revival: Fela Kuti and the Influence of His AfroBeat on Hip Hop and Dance Music--Joseph Patel * Resurrection Shuffle--Vivien Goldman * Femi Interview--with J?rome Sandlarz, translated by Julia Bloch * Producing Fela's Album Jackets--Ghariokwu Lemi * Fela and the Black President Film: A Diary--John Collins * Dis Fela Sef!--Fela in Lagos--dele jegede * Thinking Africa: Afrobeat Aesthetic and the Dancing Queens--Vivien Goldman * Fela, Women, Wives--LaRay Denzer * School Days in Lagos--Fela, Lady, and Acada Girls--Nkiru Nzegwu * FELA INTERVIEW-with Barney Hoskyns * On Whose Side Are the Orisa (gods)?--Sola Olorunyomi * Roforofo Fight: Fela's Resistance of Domination--Yomi Durotoye

Trevor Schoonmakeris an independent curator living in New York. He is director of the Fela Project, a multimedia project on the influence of Fela Kuti.

...the book's diversity of perspectives is part of what makes it click.