Femi Kuti interviewed

His father was a great man, Femi Kuti says of Fela Antikulapo Kuti, the king of Afrobeat with whom he is often compared, as Erik K. Arnold reports ( Minneapolis City Pages ). Such a comparison, though, is a typical Western point of view, Femi explains. In Africa ancestor worship is an essential part of African culture, thus for Africans it is quite normal that he followed in his father's footsteps. His father was active in rougher times, influenced by Malcolm X and the Black Power movement. Femi is confronted with quite different musical influences such as HipHop, Salsa or Rap. But he, too, has a political agenda in his music which often carries messages about AIDS, injustices or corruption.