All You Need To Know About Fela ''Anikulapo'' Kuti (AKA Abami Eda)

Musician and activist Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned the Nigerian government.

Synopsis

Fela Kuti was born on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Beginning in the 1960s, Kuti pioneered his own unique style of music called "Afrobeat." Rebelling against oppressive regimes through his music came at a heavy cost. Kuti was arrested 200 times and endured numerous beatings, but continued to write political lyrics, producing 50 albums before he died on August 2, 1997, in Lagos, Nigeria.

Early Years

Musician and political activist Fela Kuti was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Kuti was the son of a Protestant minister, Reverend Ransome-Kuti. His mother, Funmilayo, was a political activist.

As a child, Kuti learned piano and drums, and led his school choir. In the 1950s, Kuti told his parents that he was moving to London, England, to study medicine, but wound up attending the Trinity College of Music instead. While at Trinity, Kuti studied classical music and developed an awareness of American jazz.

Activism Through Music

In 1963, Kuti formed a band called Koola Lobitos. He would later change the band's name to Afrika 70, and again to Egypt 80. Beginning in the 1960s, Kuti pioneered and popularized his own unique style of music called "Afrobeat." Afrobeat is a combination of funk, jazz, salsa, Calypso and traditional Nigerian Yoruba music. In addition to their distinctive mixed-genre style, Kuti's songs were considered unique in comparison to more commercially popular songs due to their length—ranging anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour long. Kuti sang in a combination of Pidgin English and Yoruba.

In the 1970s and '80s, Kuti's rebellious song lyrics established him as political dissident. As a result, Afrobeat has come to be associated with making political, social and cultural statements about greed and corruption. One of Kuti's songs, "Zombie," questions Nigerian soldiers' blind obedience to carrying out orders. Another, "V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power)," seeks to empower the disenfranchised masses to rise up against the government.

In 1989, three years after touring the United States, Kuti released an album called Beasts of No Nation. The album cover portrays world leaders Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan (among others) as cartoon vampires baring bloody fangs.

Rebelling against oppressive regimes through his music came at a heavy cost to Kuti, who was arrested by the Nigerian government 200 times, and was subject to numerous beatings that left him with lifelong scars. Rather than abandon his cause, however, Kuti used these experiences as inspiration to write more lyrics. He produced roughly 50 albums over the course of his musical career, including songs for Les Negresses under the pseudonym Sodi in 1992.

Personal Life

Fela Kuti was a polygamist. A woman named Remi was the first of Kuti's wives. In 1978, Kuti married 27 more women in a single wedding ceremony. He would eventually divorce them all. Kuti's children with Remi included a son, Femi, and daughters Yeni and Sola. Sola died of cancer not long after her father's death in 1997. All three offspring were members of the Positive Force, a band they founded in the 1980s.

Death

Fela Kuti died of AIDS-related complications on August 2, 1997, at the age of 58, in Lagos, Nigeria. Roughly 1 million people attended his funeral procession, which began at Tafawa Balewa Square and ended at Kuti's home, Kalakuta, in Ikeja, Nigeria, where he was laid to rest in the front yard

Meet The Man Called Dwayne ''The Rock'' Johnson..... One of my all time favorite wrestler and movie star.

Dwayne Johnson started out as "The Rock," a popular figure in professional wrestling and then became an actor known for such films as 2001's The Mummy Returns.

Synopsis

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was born into a professional wrestling family in 1972. An injury ended his college football career, so he entered the ring with the Word Wrestling Federation. As "The Rock," he famously feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWF Heavyweight title six times. Johnson then parlayed his wrestling fame into a film career, appearing in projects like 2001's The Mummy Returns and 2010's Tooth Fairy. His recent projects include Furious Seven (2015) and San Andreas (2015).

Early Life

Professional wrestler and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Douglas Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California. The grandson of professional wrestler Peter "High Chief" Fanene Maivia and son of wrestler Rocky Johnson, the young Johnson grew up watching his father perform in the ring. But with no plans to follow in his footsteps, Johnson played college football at the University of Miami where he had great success until a back injury cost him a spot in the NFL.

The Rock

With few prospects in professional football, Johnson turned to wrestling, debuting in the WWF against the Brooklyn Brawler in Texas. After a couple more matches, including a tag team win with Bart Sawyer, the WWF signed him under the name Flex Kavana. A year later, he joined The Nation of Domination, eventually taking over its leadership and calling himself The Rock.

He later joined another band of elite wrestlers known as The Corporation and began a notorious feud with Steve Austin. Also known as "The People's Champ," The Rock has won the WWF Heavyweight title six times and the WWF Tag Team championships five times.

Acting Career

Outside the ring, The Rock has launched a successful acting career, dropping the stage name and simply going by Dwayne Johnson. He first made a big splash as the Scorpion King, a supernatural bad guy, in 2001's The Mummy Returns. Johnson returned to this role the following year for The Scorpion King. Trying his hand at comedy, he appeared in 2005's Be Cool with John Travolta and Uma Thurman and 2007's The Game Plan.

Johnson's acting career continues to thrive through his appearances in such films as Driver (2010) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013). In 2014, he starred as the most famous strong men of all time in Hercules. Johnson also returns to wrestling from time to time, including a 2014 appearance with Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 30.

In 2015, Johnson dominated the big screen with two big action films. He appeared in Furious Seven and starred in San Andreas. Johnson also debuted his first dramatic comedy series that same year. He plays Spencer Strasmore, a retired pro footballer turned financial planner, on Ballers. 

Johnson has a daughter, Simone Alexandra, from his first marriage. He and his high school sweetheart, Danny Garcia, wed in 1997 and split up a decade later. Johnson lives in Miami Florida.

FACTS ABOUT MUSIC.

Hey guys, came across these interesting facts about music, I thought I should share:

#Fact 1: Listening to music while working out improves physical performance.

#Fact 2: You don’t like the original version of a song because it’s better. You like it because you it’s the one you heard first.

#Fact 3: Your Favorite song is probably your favorite because you associate it with an emotional event in your life.

#Fact 4: Your heartbeat changes and mimics the Music you listen to.

#Fact 5: Flowers grow faster by listening to music.

#Fact 6: The type of music you listen to affects the way you perceive the world.

#Fact 7: Musician have the same life Expectancy as Zimbabweans-the lowest on earth.

#Fact 8: Loud Music can make a person drink more in less time.

#Fact 9: In 1989, the US military blared AC/DC Music at GENERAL NORIEGA’s compound in Panama for 2 continuous days. The dictator surrendered.

#Fact 10: Music triggers activity in the same brain structure that releases the “Pleasure chemical” Dopamine during sex and eating.

#Fact 11: Rapper NOCLUE is the world’s fastest rapper with 723 syllabus in 51.27 seconds (14.1 syllabus/second).

#Fact 12: The British navy uses Britney spears song to scare off Somali pirates.

#Fact 13: Revenues from digital music download outpaced CD sales in the US for the first time in 2014.

#Fact 14: Eminem wrote and recorded the song” the real slim shady”, 3 hours before his Album was due.

#Fact 15: The Song that gets stuck in your head is called an “EAR WORM'.

New Music Video from Timaya....Gbagam - Timaya ft. Phyno & Deettii

A lovely music video from Timaya. The concept of the video is brilliant but am not feeling the song as well as the lyrics. Timaya am sure you can do better than this......

One of my favorite music video for this year....Runtown ft Uhuru- The Banger

Runtown is one of my favorite music artiste in Nigeria... He has dropped hits after hit in the Nigerian music scene. A very hard working dude and anything that comes out of his stable is a sure bet hit. The Banger is a dope song with a dope video as well.....Kudos Runtown........

Meet these International Musicians with Nigerian Descent

1.  Wale

Born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin on September 21, 1984 to Nigerian parents, rapper Wale is signed to the Maybach Music Group. He is an award winning artiste with awards like 2012 BET Best Collaboration Award and 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Best Club Banger Award to his merit.

2. Chamillionaire

Hakeem Seriki, born November 28, 1979, is better known by his stage name Chamillionaire. He is an American rapper and entrepreneur from Houston, Texas. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire was born to a Muslim Nigerian father and an African-American Christian mother in Washington DC.

3.  Taio Cruz

Jacob Taio Cruz best known by his stage name Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper and entrepreneur. The singer was born in London, to a Nigerian father and a Brazilian mother on April 23, 1985.

4.  Tinie Tempah

Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu popularly known as Tinie Tempah is an English rapper from South London born on November 7, 1998 to parents from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own record and fashion label Disturbing London (DL Records) in 2007 along with his cousin, Dumi Oburota. He has won several awards including the 2011 BET Awards for Best International Act UK and the 2013 MOBO Awards for Best UK Hip Hop/Grime Act.

5.  Nas

Born Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973 to a Nigerian, Olu Dara, and an American mother Frannie Ann (Little), Nas is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. His father is a jazz and blues musician. Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and has sold over 25 million records worldwide. He is often named as one of the greatest hip-hop artistes. MTV once ranked him at No 5 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time.

6.  Sade Adu

Helen Folashade Adu is a British-Nigerian singer, songwriter, composer and record producer born on January 16, 1959. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria to Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in Economics and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse. Her parents separated and her mother moved to England when Sade was four years old. Sade Adu has received several honours including six Grammy Awards. The Grammys include 1986 Best New Artist Award, 1994 Best R&B Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals and 2002 Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

7.  Seal

Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, popular known as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer and songwriter born February 19, 1963. He has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Seal has won several awards including Brit Awards Best British Male Award in 1992. He received the British Academy’s Ivor Novella Award, for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for ‘Killer’ in 1990 and ‘Crazy’ in 1991. ‘Kiss from a Rose’ from the Batman Forever Soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1996, becoming Seal’s best performing single on the US market (it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in late August 1995) and hit number four in the UK.

8.  Jidenna

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born April 5, 1985 in Wisconsin to an American mother, Tama Mobisson, an accountant, and a Nigerian father, Oliver Mobisson, a professor of computer science at Enugu State University. In 1995, the family moved from Nigeria to the United States. Jidenna’s name in the Igbo language means to “embrace the father”. He is signed to Wondaland Records and in 2015 released his single ‘Classic Man’

9.  Lemar

Lemar Obika was born in Tottenham, North London, England
to Nigerian parents of Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria. He
grew up listening to R&B and soul music. He used to sing at
home with his brothers and sister, pretending to be The
Jacksons.

He was 17 when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at
'The Temple' in Tottenham supporting Usher. [Citation needed]
Later on he gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at Cardiff
University to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success
supporting various artists such as Destiny's Child, Total, Uncle
Sam and Usher Raymond on their UK club tours and after some
years, managed to secure a recording contract with BMG.
Following this, he released his debut single “Got Me Saying
Ooh ". His record deal with BMG fell through in less than a year
due to restructuring at the record label. [3] He had to eventually
take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest in
Enfield, North London.

Do you know that the man that played ''Agent Smith'' in the Movie Matrix was born in Ibadan, Nigeria

Biography of Hugo Wallace Weaving aka (Agent Smith)

Hugo Weaving is best known for playing Agent Smith in the Matrix film trilogy and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Synopsis

Hugo Wallace Weaving was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, on April 4, 1960. He played Agent Smith in the Matrix film trilogy and Elrond in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Often cast as a villain, Weaving has had starring roles in Transformers (2007), Captain America (2011) and Cloud Atlas (2012).

Early Years

Hugo Wallace Weaving was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, on April 4, 1960. His mother, Anne, taught and led tours, while his father, Wallace, worked as a seismologist. During his childhood, his family lived in England, Australia and South Africa, but eventually settled in England, where Weaving attended boarding school in Bristol. When he was 16, his family moved back to Sydney and enrolled Weaving at Knox Grammar School. Five years later, he graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Almost fresh out of school, Hugo Weaving gained attention with his performance in The City's Edge (1983), a low-budget film said to be the first to realistically portray the living conditions of aborigines. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, he appeared in a number of Australian productions, including the 1989 film Bangkok Hilton, in which he appeared opposite Nicole Kidman. Two years later, he won the Best Actor award from the Australian Film Institute for his performance in Proof, a black comedy about a blind photographer, which also featured his countryman Russell Crowe.

Professional Success

Not one to be pigeonholed, Weaving appeared in drag in the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and lent his signature baritone voice as the narrator in Babe (1995). One of his most widely known roles came as Agent Smith in the 1999 sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix. Later, audiences worldwide would find his lean frame and arched eyebrows a natural fit in his role as the half-elf Elrond in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy.

In 2005, Weaving won the lead role in V for Vendetta, wearing a mask for the entire performance. His work as the main villain in Transformers (2007) and Captain America (2011) seemed to cement his place in Hollywood, but the Australian has always had an aversion to high-profile stardom. "You stop being able to create another human being," he once said. "So I rather like playing the roles of masked characters. It allows me to maintain a certain private life."

Although 2012 saw Weaving in Cloud Atlas and The Hobbit, he has indicated that he will appear in fewer Hollywood movies, and instead focus on theater and smaller, independent films along the lines of the 2010 low-budget drama Oranges and Sunshine, in which he starred.

Personal Life

Hugo Weaving lives in Sydney, Australia, with Katrina Greenwood and their two children, Harry and Holly. He owns a dairy farm three hours north of the city, which he purchased with proceeds from The Matrix. He was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13 and has consequently never gotten a driver's license.