His mother, Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an anti-colonial feminist, and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, was an Anglican minister, school principal, and the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was born into the Ransome-Kuti family, an upper-middle-class Nigerian family, on 15 October 1938 in Abeokuta (the modern-day capital of Ogun State ), which at the time was a city in the British Colony of Nigeria. The Ransome-Kuti family around 1940: Reverend Israel and Chief Funmilayo seated, Dolu at back, Fela in the foreground and baby Beko, with Olikoye at right Early life Since his death in 1997, reissues and compilations of his music have been overseen by his son, Femi Kuti. He continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s. He was jailed by the government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, but released after 20 months. The commune was destroyed in a 1978 raid. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule.

After early experiences abroad, he and his band Africa 70 (featuring drummer and musical director Tony Allen) shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s, during which he was an outspoken critic and target of Nigeria's military juntas. Kuti was the son of Nigerian women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. AllMusic described him as a musical and sociopolitical voice of international significance. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most 'challenging and charismatic music performers'.

He is regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist.

Soft kalakuta instrumental