Femi Kuti, dead prez, and more talk challenges, build bridges at SummerStage

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The air was thick on Sunday night, as heatwaves and political unrest continue to pervade NYC and the country at large — but that didn’t stop New Yorkers from gathering on the lawn at the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage in Central Park to witness Afrobeat bandleader and activist Femi Kuti performing with his group Positive Force. The Grammy-nominated, multi-instrumentalist was joined by NYC hip-hop duo dead prez, Cape Verdean singer/songwriter Elida Almeida, Nigerian poet Alhanislam (who is the United Nations Global Advocate for Peace) and DJ Rich Medina, who each brought their own unique blend of socially charged artistry to the stage for an evening filled with dancing, laughter, and some big ideas. The show was preceded by “Beats & Roots,” a panel on African art and diaspora, hosted by Hot 97’s Shani Kulture and featuring chef Ayo Balogun, NYC-based artist Laolu, Olivia — who has performed with G-Unit and appeared on “Love & Hip-Hop” — and David Ponte, co-founder of streaming platform Audiomack.

Femi Kuti, who comes from a family of artists and activists, is the son of revolutionary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. The younger Kuti uses the genre introduced to the world by his father as a backdrop to express themes that include unity, illustrations of poverty and class divide, and criticism of government corruption in his homeland of Nigeria. With song titles like “Truth Don Die,” “Stop the Hate,” and “Politics Don Expose Them,” Kuti drove his message home at Central Park with ferocity unmatched, as he ripped through a 90-minute set that served as a bridge between New Yorkers and “the continent.” In Kuti’s music you hear both tradition and innovation, as he utilizes ancient African rhythms and folk sensibilities, and fuses them with styles that developed from the African diaspora; jazz, funk, salsa, and even rock ‘n’ roll were part of the magic that unfolded onstage Sunday night.

Johnny Knollwood photos

Kuti’s group featured keyboardist Oluwaseun Ajayi, Alaba Ayodele on drums, guitarist Opeyemi Awomolo, Tom DiCarlo on bass, saxophonist Joshua Oladeji, Donald Malloy on trumpet, and percussionist Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, rounded out by dancers Olajumoke Adigun, Kate Udi, and Kuti’s wife Anthonia Bernard. Three American musicians, Dicarlo, Malloy, and Pupo-Walker, stepped in at the last minute after several members of Kuti’s group left “unceremoniously,” Kuti told the AmNews via telephone in a post-show interview. The players learned the demanding, blistering set on short notice, and with only four hours of rehearsal. Attendees likely could not tell, because Kuti and his group put on an energetic and rousing performance. He played saxophone and keyboards, sang, and danced around the stage, leading the audience in anthemic chants and hand claps throughout the night — instilling a sense of togetherness. “I am so happy we pulled it off,” he added.

Connection seemed to be a central theme of the night. The free show is part of Capital One City Parks Foundation’s annual series that includes access to an abundance of no-cost programming. “Arts and culture are a refuge,” said Erika Elliott, executive artistic director of SummerStage, to AmNews via email. “A place for community.”

The evening was preceded by a pre-show panel, “Beats & Roots,” that opened with a question by moderator Shani Kulture. “How has African music served as a bridge between the continent and the diaspora?” he asked the panelists, who engaged in a broad discussion on how African art has influenced modern culture, the unique challenges African artists face in the music industry with regards to distribution and compensation, and how the art is reflective of the continent’s rich and diverse cultural landscape. Panelist and chef Balogun, who specializes in West African cuisine at his restaurant, Dept of Culture, discussed how art and food can be used to “preserve heritage,” he told the audience, claiming he strives to “represent the culture with integrity.”

The panel was followed by a poetry reading from Alhanislam, a Nigerian poet and U.N. Advocate for Peace, who instilled a sense of hope in her passionate plea for harmony across the human race. “There was a time when we measured strength by how long we could hold a grudge, but today, let us measure strength by how long we can hold space for someone else’s truth,” Alhanislam told the audience. “Because there was a ‘me’ and a ‘you,’ before there was ever an ‘us.’”

Soon after, Elida Almeida took to the stage, bringing Creole influence and island flavor to the Afrobeat table. Singing primarily in Portuguese and rarely staying in one spot, Almeida exuded power and vibrance onstage, quickly winning over the audience and leading them in dance. New York duo dead prez were joined by special guests including Talib Kweli for a set of politically charged hip-hop. They performed in front of a literal history lesson, showing videos of Malcolm X with subtitles about his life, among a slew of other videos depicting the challenges and struggles of the Black community on a screen plastered behind the artists. “If you don’t know who dead prez is you have to get familiar,” guest Kweli told the audience. “So powerful. So beautiful. So Black. So excellent.”

After a brief intermission, Kuti and Positive Force brought a unique sonic brew to the enthusiastic, sweaty, Central Park audience. The set included free form solo improvisations from Kuti sprawled throughout intensely locked in grooves, and vamps that hypnotize, and pull the listener into the vast web of sound emanating from the stage. Much of the lyrical content is repetitive — easy to grasp for an audience member who wants to sing along — and powerful in its messaging. Kuti’s latest album “Journey Through Life” includes big ideas about love and peace — how we need to come together, but also includes moments of introspection, like on the track “Work on Myself,” which he included in the Central Park set. “If after all these years my father couldn’t change things … or Malcolm X or whoever it was — I’ve been doing it all my life, I thought ‘maybe I’m wasting too much time,’” he said. But then he began to reframe his perspective. “Maybe if I look inward and people see the change in me, maybe people will start to look within themselves … If I keep telling you, ‘This is the way to go about it,’ then I’m like a dictator myself. “Kuti is all too wise to the power of music, and its ability to communicate and connect. “Music is a weapon, and art can bring people together,” but “it can be used against us as well,” he warned. “It all depends on the individual to stay true.” At the end of the day, Kuti wants his music to give people strength. “Because the music gives me the strength to just say — excuse me — ‘f — it!’”