Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Son of celebrated Nigerian Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti has done more than carry on the musical tradition of his iconic father, expanding the mix of Yoruban folk music, jazz, and horn-driven funk to include contemporary influences while emerging as a self-assured artist possessed of deep passion and fearless conviction.

He made his stage debut at nine and became the lead vocalist in his father’s Egypt 80 band at the age of 14 following the elder Kuti’s passing in 1997. Since then, Seun and Egypt 80 have crisscrossed the world, recording a series of socially conscious and infectiously grooving albums including the hard-hitting Robert Glasper-produced A Long Way to the Beginning in 2014 and 2018’s relentless and compelling Black Times with guest Carlos Santana. His newest, 2019’s Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions, is a document of a remarkable band and leader in action, recorded with no overdubs and no second takes.

These performances by Egypt 80 are priceless to fans of African music, since many musicians in the current lineup played with Fela during his life, and though Fela Kuti never played material from his studio recordings live, Seun typically includes a cross-section of his father’s greatest work alongside his own incisive compositions.