Femi, Made Kuti Discuss The Impact of Their Soon-To-Drop Afrobeat Albums

With one listen through each of the two records, it’s clear that the late Fela Kuti’s musical family tree remains both strong and fruitful.

On February 5th, Fela’s son, Femi, and grandson, Made, will each release their own forthcoming studio albums on Partisan Records, Femi’s Stop The Hateand Made’s For(e)ward. The achievement carries with it much significance. It’s rare that any father and son are able to share in such a prominent co-release. It’s also a sign that the genre of music that Fela invented, Afrobeat, is alive and well in the voices and instruments of his lineage and beyond. But the albums, outside of any historical context, are also just quite good. The music empowers, emboldens and reaffirms a connection with what the Kuti family has always kept in mind: the hands, the head and the heart. The songs offer important messages, the kinds that have and will stand the test of myriad future societal evolutions. They are timeless.