Made Kuti, the grandson of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti performed with his band, The Movement at the New Afrika Shrine, Lagos on 4 April.
The Afrika Shrine’s Sunday Jump had been suspended since last December. The first show of 2021 was a return with anticipated exhilaration for music fans who turned up from around the country. Music fans from around Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and many other places took to the dancefloor as they watched the prodigy present his ten-man band for the first time to the delight of afrobeat lovers.
Made Kuti made his entry on stage around 9pm with his proud mother, Funke Kuti, aunt Yeni Kuti, uncle Seun Kuti and his siblings in the audience. Femi Kuti, the father of the multi-instrumentalist introduced Made and his band to the fans.
The show opened with an electrifying blast that showcased an outstanding band of young fit men packed with passion and speed in a pulsating pace that reverberates in the head of the listeners. It is clearly a new kind of Afrobeat, with horns ever present and the power of the conga. ‘Free Your Mind’, his popular track was the opener that got the fans singing along. It was followed by his father’s song ‘Oyinbo’ and then on to Fela’s ‘Trouble Sleep Yanga Go Wake Am’. The fans asked for more.
Made Kuti slid across the stage, bare foot and chested, reminiscent of his father and grandfather. He started by making the iconic double clenched fist black power salute, a sight that made the audience go wild, sending shivers down their spines. The world is hungry for Made Kuti’s music. ‘Free your mind’ is a message that resonates with the current generation, eager for change instead of dogma. His music comes from his soul. It was also beautiful to see a lot of young fresh faces at the Afrika Shrine for Made’s debut.
Made revealed to eyesofalagosboy.com, “Last night was absolutely amazing and it was only as beautiful as it was because of the hard work from the musicians and all the love from family and the audience. They made it beautiful. A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you.”
Made grew up in the Afrika Shrine, Ikeja and has played in Femi’s Positive Force band from a young age. His commanding stage presence at his first show was a remarkable rite of passage for the prodigy Nigeria has watched grown into a gentleman and musical power-house.
Made Kuti joined his father’s band, the Positive Force since 2018 as the bassist, trumpeter, saxophonist after he completed his degree BMus in composition and he toured the world with the band. The 2020 COVID pandemic provided ample time and concentration for the father-son collaborative album project Legacy+, released last February.
This was truly history in the making and it has set the tone for the direction of Afrobeat to a younger ever growing audience and an expanding global fanbase.
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