Why Afrobeat won’t
die – Kola Ogunkoya
By SOLA BALOGUN
Friday, February 22, 2008
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Kola
Ogunkoya
Pix: Sun News Publishing |
| |
He left the shores of Nigeria in the late 1990s, but made
a brief return to the country in 2000. His dramatic comeback
then culminated in the release of a hit song, Fa mi ni rungbon.
Kola Ogunkoya, one of the fast rising Afrobeat singers was
a disciple of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti even when the latter
was alive.
As young as he was then, Kola had the privilege of sharing
the stage with the Afrobeat legend and other popular musicians
such as Sir Victor Olaiya, King Sunny Ade, Dayo Kujore, Orlando
Julius and Dele Abiodun.
Aside this, Ogunkoya who goes by the popular stage name, Gbedu
Master cut his teeth in highlife afrobeat musical genres while
performing at the quarterly Arts Stampede organised by the
Committtee for Relevant Art (CORA). It was this rich profile
of a rising star that Ogunkoya took to America about 12 years
ago.
Having stayed in the US for sometime, the Gbedu crooner recently
unveiled his sojourn abroad explaining how he copes with the
American music industry, how acceptable his music is in America
and how Afrobeat is still thriving despite Fela’s death.
How I started
I started playing music as a young chorister. I felt then
that music was my destiny. I started praising God in the church
up till the time I took to highlife music. I’m particularly
happy that I started that way because most great musicians
today also started from the church. I am grateful to God for
the level He has taken me.
Playing with top musicians
I learnt from the masters how to sing well and how to manage
my life as an artiste. Although I never had the privilege
of playing in Fela’s Egypt 80 Band, he (Fela) always
welcomed me during the jamming sessions at the Afrika shrine.
At that time, I already had a band and had started performing
at Jazzville on Majaro Street, Yaba, as well as Jazz 38 on
Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. There was a time when Abami Eda (Fela)
and my band had a joint show during the Lekki Sunsplash in
the late 1980s. That was the first time Baba (Fela) saw me
perform, and he was happy. since then, he kept inviting me
to his Afrika Shrine to perform.
From Fela and other top musicians, I learn’t how to
be original as a musician and when I travelled to America,
nobody told me that I couldn’t have succeeded as a musician
if I didn’t play my original African music-Afrobeat
and highlife.
Why I moved to the United States
In fact, I did not realize I’d spent 12 years in America
until recently when I realized I needed to play more of Afrobeat.
I went to the United States to perform and it has been a fulfilling
experience for me. I have been going places to perform and
I’m proud to say I have received the I.R.A.W.M Awards
for the Best African Entertainer of the year.
As an African musician in America, life has been challenging
but it has not really been to rough for me. I keep on having
shows and I’ve always received commendations from across
the country.
Afrogbedu in America
My music is doing fine in America. It’s popular in the
clubs and public shows. But the truth is that Americans love
their own music: pop, R&B and Hip-hop-than any other genre
from Africa. So it’s pretty difficult for African musicians
to get noticed here. This is because Americans are more concerned
about their youths and the kind of music they listen to on
radio and TV. So it’s hard to put Africans first in
their TV or radio shows, rather they prefer their own music
and place other forms of entertainment below it.
But for me, I usually organize shows during the Black History
Month in February or perform during special concerts that
are dedicated to Africa.
Memorable concerts
I cannot forget Lekki Sunsplash organised by Dele Adelegan
and the Golden Tones organised by Benson and Hedges.
Afrobeat after Fela
Some of us who are disciples of Fela have been trying our
best to promote Afrobeat music. It is true the late Fela Anikulapo
Kuti was able to cut across all races through the music. But
that was not just because of the sweetness of his rhythms
or because he was the only one playing Afrobeat then. It was
because Fela used his brand of Afrobeat to fight the political
class in Nigeria and Africa.
His music usually causes alarm/commotion in government circles
and many people from outside Africa wanted to know whether
he was attacked or imprisoned for his music. In short, the
world was always at alert whenever Fela had brushes with the
authorities. He was a committed and fearless fighter for the
masses. There have been other brilliant singers of Afrobeat
such as Orlando Julius who comment on social issues and happenings
in the nation. |
