Before bands start going on world tours of their own, 88Nine is doing a World Tour of virtual sessions. In late May we went to Nigeria with Femi Kuti and his son Made.
I’ve been a fan of all things Kuti since I discovered a dusty tape featuring Fela Kuti, Femi’s father and Made’s grandfather, with vibraphone great Roy Ayers. It opened a window. Soon I was all up into afrobeat; Fela, then Tony Allen and then Femi and Seun and now, Made. This goes back years. So when we hooked a session with not only Femi, but also his son; I was pretty stoked. Meeting a hero who’s also a legend with a legacy as deep as any genre in world is right up my alley.
Speaking of legacy, "Legacy+" is the name of the new album that Femi and his son have just dropped. A double disc (if you will) or a joint release (if you won’t), that features father and son side-by-side on an album whose trade is deep, subversive and provocative in very welcome ways. Our conversation was similar.
After waiting a bit for the time delay and the electrical difficulties of generator power in Nigeria, we finally met face to face. The conversation was as you shall see…