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FEMI KUTI:
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962) popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician and the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Femi was born in London to Fela and Remi Kuti and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, though, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi eventually became a member of his father’s band. Like his father, Femi has shown a strong commitment to social and political causes throughout his career, but he differs from his father in his religious views. He created his own band Positive Force in late 80s with Dele Sosimi (Gbedu Resurrection), former key-board player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at Festival d’Angoulême (France), New Morning Club in Paris and Moers Festival in Germany.

In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of U.S. musicians, such as Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright. In 2002, Femi’s mother, who had played an influential role in Femi’s life, died at the age of 60. Femi’s son currently appears as part of his act, playing alto saxophone.

Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father’s classic song, “Water No Get Enemy,” to Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by the Red Hot Organization and MCA. His track was created in collaboration with hip hop and R&B artists, D’Angelo, Macy Gray, The Soultronics, Nile Rodgers, and Roy Hargrove, and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.

In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti’s criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song “Sorry Sorry”.

UHURU AFRIKA:
Truly a one-of-a –kind experience, Boston based AfroDance party UHURU AFRIKA is a musical translation of the African Diaspora. A combination of traditional music as performed by the Yoruba, the Zulu, and the Massai peoples infused with Caribbean and Latin elements delivered via the electronic platform of the modern club dancefloor. From the root to the fruit UHURU AFRIKA is Adam Gibbons: Creator, Philanthropist and Resident DJ; Max Pela: Dominican born and Palo initiated Resident DJ; Sidy Maiga: Master percussionist from Bamako, Mali; and Jay Medina: Multi-Media and Visuals Artist. Together they create a rich multi-sensory story packed with spirited energy. UHURU AFRIKA has shared this story travelling throughout the US, including yearly events such as Winter Music Conference in Miami, and Mi Casa Su Casa Holiday in Mexico. UHURU AFRIKA has worked with and hosted artists such as Femi Kuti, Black Coffee, Boddhi Satva, Rich Medina, Oumou Sangaré, Abicah Soul, Ian Friday, Wunmi, Carlos Mena, Ezel, Siji, Zaki Ibrahim and Afrobeat co-creator Tony Allen to name a few.