Larry Rohter on Femi Kuti

"Since his father’s death, from complications of AIDS in 1997, the younger Kuti has pursued two careers: his own musicianship and that of serving as the main guardian of Fela Kuti’s legacy and of Afrobeat, the inviting and highly danceable mixture of West African rhythms with jazz, soul, funk and psychedelic rock influences. … Femi Kuti writes almost all of his own material and has broadened the range of influences on Afrobeat. 'It’s a different rhythmic language and a different harmonic language too,' said Aaron Johnson … a member of the Afrobeat group Antibalas. … 'He’s retained the general framework while incorporating instrumental and rhythmic elements from the last 10 years of popular music, like having that four-on-the-floor house dance beat pushed to the front, for instance, when Fela had so many polyrhythms going on.' Purists may not like those changes. … But as Mr. Kuti noted, if he stuck to the classic Afrobeat sound, he would run the risk of being accused of imitating or copying his father. … Mr. Kuti had a seven-year gap between studio CDs of new material, broken only in 2008 with the release of 'Day by Day'" ("Guarding a Legacy from Nigeria to Broadway," New York Times, 7/11/10).