One of Africa's most acclaimed musicians, Nigerian Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997) wrote and performed political protest songs that won him a large following both at home and abroad, to the frequent chagrin of government authorities. His music--dubbed...

Fela Kuti's family circumstances marked him for distinction, though not necessarily as one of the earliest and wildest of Africa's handful of world- famous popular singers. The Ransome-Kuti family is a sort of Nigerian equivalent of the Foots or the Redgraves - intellectual, uncompromising...

University Wire 05-08-2000 (The Round Up) (U-WIRE) LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- "The Best Best of Fela Kuti" is a new release on that is what the title suggests, the cream of the crop of the recordings and music of one of Africa's most famous...

Recorded at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in New York, Hard Groove was mixed down in analog to simulate the live show ambiance of a juke joint, tavern, or even a South African shebeen-right in your home. The album opens up with "Hardgroove," a bass-driven,...

Days before the release of Common's highly anticipated sixth album, and after a kinetic performance in the pouring rain at NYC's Columbia University, the wordsmith sat down with Vibe.com to discuss his new album --- Be. His last album, Electric Circus was almost called The...