Femi Kuti started the band, the Positive Force, bringing his brand of Afrobeat that fuses funk, jazz, and highlife, around the world. In 2001, he collaborated with a number of US musicians on his album Fight to Win, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright; in 2021, he released a two-album project with his son Made Kuti called Legacy+. His latest LP Journey Through Life balances the political themes that have defined his career with deeply personal reflections on family, life, and inner growth. Also performing is dead prez, the infamous hip-hop duo with an instantly recognizable hit ("Hip-Hop," famously used as the bed track on Chappelle's Show) and a legacy of calling out inequality and injustice throughout their career. Across three studio albums and a handful of mixtapes, they've championed militant social justice, self-determination, Pan-Africanism, and opposing corporate media. Cape Verdean singer and songwriter Elida Almeida, known for her viral single and album Nta Konsigui, will round out the evening. DJing between sets will be Rich Medina, the DJ, producer, spoken-word poet, archivist, and journalist who claims both the Rock Steady Crew and the Universal Zulu Nation and is a part of the DJ collective The Originals; in 2001 he created the "JUMP N FUNK", North America's original Afrobeat party series celebrating Fela Kuti and the cultural legacy of Afrobeat music. Nigerian poet Maryam Bukar Hassan, also known as Alhanislam.. Doors open at 5:00 pm.
New York City, NY; NYC