The Kuti lineage is renowned for its activist spirit. From way back in the 70s when it’s patriarch, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti dedicated hundreds of hours to tackling corruption in the government, to the present day with Seun and Femi Kuti among others walking the same path, activism, has become something like a trademark in the family. Made Kuti is the latest to challenge the status quo on a song titled Free Your Mind.
Mirroring the jazzy Afrobeat instrumentals that was Fela’s go-to for his preaching, Free Your Mind leverages the shaky percussions and resounding acoustics the world came to love way back in the 70s to cushion Made’s sparse but challenging lyrics. What better way to inspire introspection than with a fusion of sounds sure to alter the listener’s minds.
The single which flags off the family’s annual Felabration celebration comes with a partly animated video directed by Olly Frostie. With locations split between the world-famous Fela Shrine and what looks like a depiction of Made’s mind, the video of very telling of his stance on the implications of the chaotic state of the nation.