Fela Kuti: Afrobeat to Afrobeats

The Journey from Afrobeat to Afrobeats is part of a new series of talks by the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) / University of Westminster.

Focusing on Fela Kuti's music, this discussion maps the journey from Afrobeat to Afrobeats, through past and present West African musicians and their contributions to British popular music. Fela’s music is an example of colonial history and the hybridisation of West African, African American and African Caribbean music that resulted in the birth of a new genre in the late 1960s. Afrobeat and Afrobeats are intrinsically connected to a similar narrative that links reggae, jungle, grime, and drill, to the cultural and political landscapes of popular music in Britain. These genres curate political awareness and activism and have always been present in black British music.

This panel took place on 25th of March at the Black Cultural Archives, Brixton.

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