# Fela Kuti

> Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938–1997) was a Nigerian musician and activist who created Afrobeat, fusing highlife, jazz and funk with Yoruba rhythms and confrontational political lyrics. His Kalakuta Republic commune was destroyed by roughly 1,000 soldiers in a 1977 raid that fatally injured his mother; he was later imprisoned under General Buhari's government and died of AIDS-related illness in 1997.

**Category:** Music & Film · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/fela-kuti

## Key facts
- **Born:** 15 October 1938, Abeokuta, Nigeria
- **Died:** 2 August 1997, Lagos, aged 58
- **Genre created:** Afrobeat — distinct from the contemporary [[afrobeats]] umbrella
- **Mother:** Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, feminist and activist
- **Commune:** Kalakuta Republic, declared independent of the Nigerian state
- **1977 raid:** c. 1,000 soldiers destroyed Kalakuta Republic, 18 February 1977
- **1984 imprisonment:** Convicted of currency smuggling under General Muhammadu Buhari's government; c. 20 months served
- **Cause of death:** AIDS-related complications, announced by his brother Dr Olikoye Ransome-Kuti

## Sources
- Fela Kuti | Songs, Death, Children, Genre, & Afrobeat — Encyclopaedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fela-Kuti)
- Femi, Yeni Kuti remember invasion of Kalakuta 45 years after — Punch Nigeria (https://punchng.com/femi-yeni-kuti-remember-invasion-of-kalakuta-45-years-after/)
- Fela Kuti: Biography, Afrobeat, Political Activism, & Achievements — World History Edu (https://worldhistoryedu.com/fela-kuti-biography-afrobeat-career-political-activism-achievements/)
- Seven things you may not know about Fela's death — The Nation (Nigeria) (https://thenationonlineng.net/seven-things-you-may-not-know-about-felas-death/)

_NigeriaStuff.org — free encyclopedic reference on Nigeria. Full article at the canonical URL above._