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Community Corner

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Seun Kuti is the youngest son of the famous Nigerian afro-beat musician Fela Kuti. Seun started learning to play saxophone when he was eight, which is also when he started taking piano lessons. Seun Kuti has been performing on stage since he was nine years old. He started his career as opening act with his father's band, Egypt 80. Performing on stage with as many as twenty singers and musicians in regular sessions that sometimes go on all night was such an effective practical education that when Fela died in 1997, Seun, then just fifteen, was ready to take over. Since then, Seun has led Egypt 80 as lead vocalist and saxophonist, the focal point of a band that his father had forged into one of Africa's most legendary ensembles. His singing voice is deep like Fela's, and his alto saxophone hits the lines and hooks his father composed with the same muscular style, although he brings his own flavor to the obligatory solos on saxophone and synthesizer. And like Fela, Seun lives up to a reputation as a sex symbol, shimmying, winding his hips and often discarding his shirt, to the delight of ladies fans. 

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