FEMI KUTI REPLACES CHARLY BOY ON NIGERIAN IDOL

YINKA DAVIES, FEMI KUTI & JEFFREY DANIELS

The announcement was made last Sunday, Afro Beat icon, Femi Kuti, is now a judge on Nigerian Idol and everyone was excited. But no mention was made of the other judges or how many judges there will be on the judging panel for the Season 3 of Nigerian Idol.

We got in touch with the organisers and they simply had this to say: “There are three judges – Yinka Davies, Jeffrey Daniels and Femi Anikulapo-Kuti.”

They didn’t reveal the situation or arrangement that led to the omission of Charly Boy but there has been a lot of issues surrounding his participation as judge in the show lately.

First was the issue of his demands. He was rumoured to have demanded for N30 million as his remuneration for this season which would have been his second season as a judge on the show but the organisers weren’t willing to match it.

Afterwards, everything seemed to have been settled and it was announced that the Area Fada would still be on the show. But there was still a twist to it. He was going to be on it not as Charly Boy but as his alter ego, a lady named Linda.

Then last Sunday was the announcement of Femi as a judge of the show. Many wondered if Charly Boy and Femi Kuti needed to be on the show at the same time.

The idol franchise seem to thrive on having a bogey character on its judging panel and Charly Boy and Femi both seem to fit into that category albeit in their own specially different ways.

At the just concluded Abuja auditions, it was just Femi, Yinka and Jeffrey that participated.

We contacted Charly Boy’s camp to ascertain the situation of things and one of his trusted aides assured us that Charly was still on the judging panel. He said that they were still in contact with the producers and that they have resolved all issues.

 “They sent us a Memorandum Of Understanding and we have signed and sent back to them,” he said. But he also admitted that anything could still have happened but that was the situation at that time.

FEMI KUTI JOINS NIGERIAN IDOL

Femi Kuti

The organisers of the music talent hunt show, Nigerian Idol, have just made a major catch. On Sunday, Oct. 14, the Afro Beat icon, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, was announced as a judge on the show for the recently launched season 3 of the show.

Femi joins the panel formerly only made up of ex-Shalamar dancer, Jeffrey Daniels, singer, Yinka Davies and the Area fada, Charly Boy.

In a release made available to the press, the organisers quoted Femi as being very delighted to join the Nigerian Idol family.

“I am honoured to be part of Nigerian Idol, a show that discovers talents across the country in music. Saying I love music is like saying snow is white. I am beyond passionate about music which is why I single-handedly taught myself to play four instruments. I play the Sax twelve hours in a day training myself to get better. So an opportunity to be able to impact on the lives of the future of Nigerian music is one I will never say no to,” he said.

"I was very proud when I watched Mercy Chinwo the last winner give a remarkable performance of Felas Zombie when I was a guest judge on the show last season. Many times you see people murder the songs or over act with the moves and make the man look like a caricature but she got it just right with guidance from the coach and judges. I'd like to be part of moulding many more talents with Nigerian Idol, this year,” he added.

Femi Kuti is one of Africa’s biggest recording artists and he brings to the show wealth of experience that spans well over three decades of performing across the world, playing six musical instruments, and has receiving several international awards.

The three-time Grammy Awards nominee has crossed continents to work with international stars like Common, Mos Def, Jaguar Wright, D'Angelo, Macy Gray, The Soultronics, Nile Rodgers, amongst others.  Femi Kuti's voice is featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV, where he is the host of radio station IF 99.

‘I’m glad Fela is still a phenomenon’ - FEMI KUTI

FEMI KUTI

October 2009 marked the 12th anniversary of the death of Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. As has been the custom since his death in 1997, his children, once again, organized a week-long musical festival in his honour. Held at the New Afrika Shrine, in Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, last year's event once again witnessed a variety of spectacular performances from the likes of King Sunny Ade, Fatai Rolling Dollar, Sir Shina Peters and even Femi Kuti himself. There were also imputs from acts like Seun Kuti, Wande Coal, Timaya, Terry G, Bigiano, Star Quest winners, The Pulse and Diamonds, among others. This interview was conducted just before Femi's performance at The New Afrika Shrine, Lagos, during Felabration in October 2009.

What does Felabration at 12 stand for?

It stands for the fact that our leaders cannot get away with what they are doing -destroying the country. People support Felabration because it stands for what is right and assures the leaders that they will never get away with what they are doing, and that people remember Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. He will never be forgotten, and there's no greater joy for me than knowing that.

What does Fela mean to you that other people do not know?

That's a very hard question, because he is my father. He means a lot of things as my father and there were times he annoyed me as well. What I miss most is his presence. I know that if he were alive now, he would have been able see my son, play with him and teach him things. I know I am giving my son the best, but he still does not have a grandfather. He met my son, Made, but now I would have loved to see Made disturb him. I would have loved to see him send Made on errands and advise Made. I think they would have bonded very well together.

How do you feel when you see the large turn-out at Felabration every year?

It shows that he was a great man and that people appreciate the work he did while he was alive. Most of the young people performing at Felabration today were not even there when Fela was fighting, but they have heard of him and seen his impact on the world. Fela was fighting in the 1970s when Fanta and Coke were just 5 kobo. It was N1,500 to buy a car; it was N200 to travel to America or England. Now, things are more than a thousand times worse and we are still surviving. We keep complaining about these things while some people steal all the money and keep it to themselves.

We have Felabration so that young people can understand what is happening. We have Fela as a strong base with which to launch our anger and the government cannot ease that. When you say you have no light and you are angry and you know a man lived and fought against these things many years before you were born, you have authentic proof on CDs, TV and everywhere that Fela stood and was incarcerated many times while fighting for the truth.

Do we still have such heroes?

Yes, we do. We have them in music. All the artistes coming out now are like Fela's children. Fela's music spans the whole world. Producers of Hip Hop are all Fela boys. People who produce Jay Z, Common and Alicia Keys are all Fela boys. There is one of Jay Z's tracks now that has a mixture of Afrobeat. I have met with most of these artists and they all love Fela. In the current hip hop scene, you will hear a lot of Afrobeat undertones.

What should people expect from your performances?

I used to do a thousand press-up and sit-up everyday. I am getting old now and I am very experienced. I have just come back from touring about 40 different locations in the world and I did Africa proud. The Shrine is my home and I am the same old Femi Kuti and everyone will have the time of their lives when I play. I always use the world 'Africans' instead of Nigeria because in Africa, we are virtually fighting the same fight and I am not restricted to Nigeria.

How did Felabration 2009 go?

It was great. King Sunny Ade was here. What more can you ask for? He was honoured to be here and was very happy to be on the stage in The Shrine. Pasuma, Sir Shina Peters, Fatai Rolling Dollar and a lot of the young musicians were here and they enjoyed performing here.

What's your opinion of Nigerian music at the moment?

I like a lot of what I am seeing. I like the hip hop movement going on among the youths. It is a very great development and I am happy about it because if not because of it, most of the youths who are stars today could have ended up in the wrong direction.

The people in government have so confused us and made it look like if you are not corrupt, you will not be successful. But the youths have been able to overthrow that by going into the arts, music and films. They are so successful in these areas and all hope is not lost for us in this country. Felabration supports the youths and everyone is welcome here.

How do you view Nigeria today?

I know that in Nigeria that we are number one in Africa. We have the energy, the manpower and mineral resources to be the best. If we want three national teams, we can have them. It is an insult when our boys cannot do well in football; we can't swim, even when we have Rivers State here. The government has no proper developmental policies in place. They cannot just pick some people and train them up to do the country proud in sports or any other area for that matter. They don't pay the doctors well, so who is going to treat us? Go to all the ministries, all you will find are people only interested in embezzling funds while the areas under their watch suffer neglect.

We want good education, we want good schools. We want our teachers to be well paid; we want equal education for everyone; we are tired of the situation where if you don't have money, your child will not get a good education. We want equal opportunities for everyone, we want a situation whereby the oil money goes round to every Nigerian.

How much do you think you have achieved with 12 years of Felabration?

With the condition of Nigeria and considering our situation we have achieved everything. Felabration is international; people are aware, there is a large followership. The youths are improving and people are using the stage to enhance their craft. What more can you ask for? We have no light in Nigeria and people are suffering. Yet we can still party. Felabration held without any serious cases of violence and people are happy. That a concert of this magnitude can hold without people being violent shows that we have made progress. It shows that we are law abiding and that there are still good people in Nigeria. Felabration has proven many of my beliefs right. It has shown me that Nigeria can be the greatest country in the world.

Sometime ago the Shrine was shut by the government and since then, we haven't been able to talk to you about it, what were their actual reasons for shutting down The Shrine?

They didn't have a reason, that's why they re-opened it.