Seun Kuti

Born in Lagos in 1983, Seun Kuti grew up in the musical and political environment of the Kuti family and joined Egypt 80, the afrobeat orchestra founded by Fela Kuti, at a very young age. After his father's death in 1997, Seun Kuti took over leadership and continued the work of this large ensemble, preserving its dense rhythmic foundation, the tense brass and the link between funk, highlife, jazz and West African traditions. A singer, saxophonist and percussionist, he later refined his training at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts while developing a more tightly focused writing than the long historic afrobeat suites, without abandoning their political scope. Under the name Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 he released Many Things in 2008, From Africa with Fury: Rise in 2011 (co-produced by Brian Eno and John Reynolds), A Long Way to the Beginning in 2014, Black Times in 2018 and Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) in 2024. He also released the EP African Dreams with Black Thought in 2022 and appears on various projects outside his band, while remaining primarily associated with a collective stage practice where afrobeat engages with militant funk and trance music.