Kuti family scion Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 have been relentlessly touring the globe for the first time in years, with an ongoing US, UK, and European tour that has hit stops at major festivals like Glastonbury. The tour is currently booked through October 1 in the US, at the tenth annual Desert Daze in Moreno Valley, California, and through November 7 in Europe, at Villanos del Jazz in Madrid, Spain. Along the way, they have been performing classic anthems from their catalogue alongside new material from their upcoming album, like singles “Love and Revolution” and “Emi Aluta.” These two tracks were recorded live at Clout Studio, the legendary premises of Cool FM 96.9 on Victoria Island in Lagos and are out now.
The new Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 record will also include hip-hop versions of some songs from their 2018 Grammy®-nominated album Black Times, in collaboration with Black Thought, co-founder/MC of Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show house band The Roots. The lead single “Kuku Kee Me (Remix)” is an official soundtrack selection for FIFA 23 and will be available for purchase and streaming on September 23 (the animated music video will be released September 22). The track perfectly marries the two artists’ unique but global perspectives, combining funky beats and blistering verses to share the message of “people power” in the world today. They last worked with Black Thought on Common’s single “When We Move,” which debuted worldwide for UN World Oceans Day before a performance on The Tonight Show, with footage of Seun at The New Afrika Shrine in Lagos intercut with Common, Black Thought, and The Roots live on-stage in New York.
The youngest son of visionary Fela Kuti, Seun has continued the family tradition of fusing music and politics into something transcendent. He started opening for his dad at age nine, joined Egypt 80 before he was twelve, and assumed leadership of the band following his father’s passing in 1997. Seun performs his father’s seminal compositions with his own twists, digging deep into African tradition and culture. Like his parents and grandparents, Seun is a revolutionary activist on the frontlines who has been named Pro-Tem Chairman of Movement of the People, the political party launched by his father. With his weekly radio show, his mythical gigs, and a righteous social media presence, Seun is a towering figure in Nigeria and revered worldwide. His mission is vast: “Inspire Africa to be what it is supposed to be.”
In 2011, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s live record From Africa with Fury: Rise, co-produced by Brian Eno and John Reynolds, landed on both Billboard and digital international charts. The album was their first Knitting Factory Records before joining Knitting Factory Management in 2021. Still retaining members of the group that played, protested, and were arrested with his father, they have a reputation for playing multi-hour shows heavy on group improvisation. “My band Egypt 80 and I hope, as always, that our music will help make the world a more generous, kinder and more liveable place,” Seun concludes, “not only to fans but to its underrepresented people.”
Pre-save “Kuku Kee Me (Remix)” here and keep up with Seun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & YouTube.
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