Afrobeats Prince,
Seun Kuti, on Thursday, April 19th, hosted fans, colleagues, the media and friends to the listening of his new album
Black Times”at the Kalakuta Museum, Ikeja, Lagos.
black times
Seun said, while welcoming guests, to the event:
“Black Times is a true reflection of my political and social beliefs; it is also dear to my heart because for the first time ever I wanted to own my masters, so I personally invested my funds in it. That gave me the opportunity to say the things I wanted to say.
More than ever I am convinced of the mission and purpose of our music. Here I’m giving honour to my parents and to every revolutionary who has made a difference, many of them from before I was born.
I wrote this album from a place of calm and love, I was thinking, ‘What if Africa had a philosopher king who was also a musician, who loved Alkebulan” – the ancient Kemetic name for the Motherland – “with all his heart? What sort of album would he make? What would he tell his people today?”
Seun added that many African leaders are not interested in the people they lead, and that many of those under their leadership have become complacent. Hence the
Black Times album is a solidarity call for everyone who believes in change to understand that they have a role to play. He went on to say that even though the system in place at the moment sees us as different people, we are united by the struggle.
The album is receiving rave reviews from the global music community already, as
“Struggle Sounds”, one of the hit tracks was used on the
DC Entertainment and
Warner Bros Television’s series “
Black Lightning”.
legendary father
Seun is the last of
Fela Kuti’s sons and has earned prominence playing around the world with his father’s band
Egypt 80, which he took over at the age of fourteen, as bandleader after Fela’s death. Like his father, Seun is an activist who takes a stand against injustice. He was inspired to write the songs during his many travels around the world but did not commence writing until 2016, back in his Lagos home.
The album, the musician’s 5th album released under
Strut Records, features the famous guitarist
Carlos Santana, and hip-hop artiste, actor and activist
Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) among others.
