Fela Anikulapo Kuti: Baba Of Afrobeat In The 1970s

Fela Anikulapo Kuti

The 1970s marked the most defining and explosive decade in the life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Nigerian musician, activist, and cultural revolutionary widely regarded as the Baba the father of Afrobeat. During this period, Fela transformed music into a weapon of resistance, using sound, language, and performance to confront oppression, corruption, and the lingering effects of colonialism in Nigeria and across Africa. His influence in the 1970s extended far beyond entertainment; he became a symbol of fearless truth-telling and African self-assertion.

By the early 1970s, Fela had fully developed Afrobeat, a genre he pioneered by fusing Yoruba rhythms, highlife, jazz, and American funk. Afrobeat songs were long, intense, and rhythmically complex, often stretching beyond fifteen minutes. The extended format allowed Fela to build musical tension while delivering sharp political commentary. His band, Africa ’70, provided a relentless groove powered by layered percussion, hypnotic bass lines, and powerful horn sections, while Fela led with his saxophone, keyboards, and unmistakable voice.

Unlike many artists of his time, Fela was unapologetically political. He sang primarily in Pidgin English so his message could be understood by the common people. His lyrics attacked military dictators, corrupt politicians, police brutality, and social hypocrisy. In Zombie (1976), one of his most famous songs, he mocked the Nigerian military’s blind obedience:
“Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go
Zombie no go stop, unless you tell am to stop.”

The song was both humorous and devastating, portraying soldiers as mindless tools of authoritarian power. It became immensely popular and dangerously controversial drawing the anger of the military regime.

In the 1970s, Fela established the Kalakuta Republic, a self-declared independent commune that housed his family, band members, recording studio, and supporters. Kalakuta was more than a residence; it was a political statement. By declaring it outside Nigerian authority, Fela openly challenged the legitimacy of the state. This act of defiance placed him under constant surveillance and made him a frequent target of police raids, arrests, and beatings.

Fela’s music during this era reflected his lived reality. In Expensive Shit (1975), he narrated his arrest on fabricated drug charges and exposed police corruption with biting satire. In Confusion (1975), he painted a chaotic portrait of Lagos life under poor governance, singing:
“Confusion everywhere
No confusion for heaven.”

The song captured the daily frustration of ordinary Nigerians navigating traffic jams, disorder, and institutional failure, all rooted in misrule.

The most tragic moment of the decade came in 1977, following the release of Zombie. In retaliation, soldiers attacked Kalakuta Republic, beating residents, destroying property, and burning the compound to the ground. During the assault, Fela’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti a respected nationalist and women’s rights activist was thrown from a window. She later died from her injuries. Rather than silencing Fela, the attack intensified his resistance. He carried his mother’s coffin to a military barracks in protest and released songs directly confronting the state, including Coffin for Head of State (1979).

Fela’s performances at the Afrika Shrine in the 1970s were legendary. They were not just concerts but political and spiritual gatherings. Between songs, Fela lectured his audience on African history, colonial exploitation, and mental liberation. He rejected Western values and promoted African identity, often declaring, “I no be gentleman at all.” In the song Gentleman (1973), he criticized Africans who abandoned their culture to imitate Europeans:
“Gentleman dey imitate oyinbo
But African man original.”

This insistence on cultural pride was central to Fela’s philosophy.
By the end of the 1970s, Fela Anikulapo Kuti had become an international icon of resistance. Though harassed by the state and banned from mainstream media, his music spread across Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The decade established him as more than a musician it crowned him Baba, a father figure who used Afrobeat to challenge power, awaken consciousness, and demand freedom.
The 1970s were Fela’s most radical years, when music and revolution became inseparable, and when Afrobeat emerged as the uncompromising sound of truth.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical Science communicator.
Private Investigator and Criminal
Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,
International Conflict Management and Peace Building. Alumni Gandhi Global Academy United States Institute of Peace.
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