Femi Kuti, Ras Kimono, Patoranking, others end annual celebration in grand style

jonathan

October 17, 2016 1:55 PM

The finest acts in the country, came forward to pay their respects via performances and stories about the greatness of Fela Anikulakpo Kuti.

The annual festival in honor of

Originated by the great Fela Kuti, Afrobeat has led the Nigerian charge in world music, with Fela’s son, Femi Kuti, nominated four times at the Grammy Awards for his extensive work in the genre. Today it is found in many forms, chopped, fused and reworked for various artistic and creative purposes.

Femi was one of the performers of the grand finale of the 2016 Felabration. The star jumped on to the stage, backed by his Positive Force Band. They performed root Afrobeat, with songs drawn from Femi’s extensive discography of World hits. His is an enduring form of the genre, original and tapped from the source.

While Joe El, the Kennis Music front man, performed a reworked version of the night, as he belted off lyrics from ‘Oya now’, his hit collaboration with Oritsefemi.

Afrobeats was not the only focus of the night, as numerous acts took to stage to make their voices heard, and their sounds felt by the crowd. Patoranking gave a stunning performance of all his hit songs, while Koker had ‘Kolewerk’ to work his magic for him.

There were also nostalgic performances from The Pulse who took fans back to a time when ‘Sote’ was big in the streets. It’s an uplifting song, and it continues to endure in the hearts of all who had felt it in its hot streak. Reggae veteran, Ras Kimono also took proceedings to some of his most era-defining hits. Tunde and Wunmi Obe gave their best, and Moblow’s energy was thrilling to the crowd.

There were also performances from Ycee, Ichaba, Mayorkun and many more as the night wound down to an end.

Also present at Felabration was Rikki Stein, Fela’s manager for 15 years, who handled the legend’s business until his death in 1997.

Just like the years before, Felabration continues to honor the memory, and celebrate the achievement of Nigeria’s greatest musician in a grand music festival, the likes of which has never been achieved in Nigeria. 2016 had the finest acts in the country, come forward to pay their respects via performances and stories about the greatness of Fela Anikulakpo Kuti. What a week it has been.

jonathan