Music enthusiasts, especially Afrobeat, are in for a thrilling, inspiring experience as Fela’s baritone saxophonist and deputy band leader, Riliwan Adedimeji Fagbemi, alias Showboy, is set to release an EP this July.
The virtuoso saxophonist and Afrobeat exponent is committed on continuing Fela’s legacy as he takes his solo effort to new level. The new EP, which has four songs, two of them are remixes of Fela’s songs, is set to usher in a groundbreaking era, fusing traditional African sounds with a fresh, contemporary twist to captivate audiences around the globe.
“What I am doing is because of what I’ve learned from Fela. And I believe that in the last 20 or 30 years, I didn’t have any other job than this music. I am also an instrument repairer. I learned it from the Navy,” Showman said in a chat with New Telegraph during a video shoot on the EP in Lagos recently.
Showboy continues to be an integral member of Egypt 80, Fela Kuti’s enduring musical legacy, where he serves as the Deputy Band Leader. His commitment to preserving and advancing Fela’s musical vision remains unwavering. He is also active in his solo career, constantly pushing musical boundaries and exploring new creative avenues.
His solo performances showcase his virtuosity and innovation, captivating audiences worldwide. “I am doing this to bring out some things for myself and some things from my boss, Fela, with whom I spent the better part of my life with, in the last 50 years I have been around the Kutis.
I am one of the people that worked with the legend, Fela, and to prove to the world that I worked with him, I have to bring out what I gained from him as a musician.” The EP which is scheduled to be released this July contains tracks such as ‘African Leaders’ (Afrobeat) ‘African Leaders’ (remix of ‘African Soldiers’), and ‘Peace’.
He explained that he had to do a remix of ‘African Soldiers’, which is now titled “African Leaders’, to reflect what is happening now. “When I wrote African Soldiers it was during the military regime, but now we have democracy, civilian regime. A lot of African Leaders today are not telling us the truth.
They are deceiving us; they have bastardised our culture and tradition,” Showboy said. According to him, the track ‘Peace’, says that “we are brothers and sisters, we should live together. We should love one another.” For Showboy, “Afrobeat is a revolutionary music; it is not a joke. Fela who created it did not create it for money making.”
Showboy’s journey from acrobat to saxophonist exemplifies the transformative power of music and dedication. His contributions to Afrobeat music, both with Fela Kuti, Egypt 80 with Seun Kuti and in his solo endeavours, continue to resonate with audiences worldwide.
Showboy’s legacy is not just in his musical prowess but in his unwavering commitment to preserving and advancing the spirit of Afrobeat for generations to come. And currently he’s still keeping fit with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 to sustain Afrobeat globally.
On why it’s so important to rebrand, he said: “It is because I am overripe; people I trained in Fela’s band have created their own bands, but I still stayed in Fela’s band because of the promise I made to Fela on the day he was being buried. I said I would stay by his son, Seun Kuti, till he matured to the point of being able to control everything himself, and I have achieved that.
I have stayed there for 27 years after Fela passed on. So, now, I think it’s time for me to come out as an artist. And those who believe in me started investing in me, that’s why we’re doing this.” Showboy speaks more than 15 languages, including German, French, Chinese.
Also, in an interview with New Telegraph, the Project Manager for Showboy Music, Afolaromi Abion Olaoluwa popularly known as Abe Trombone, who is also representing Sambo Productions, the company behind the EP, described Showboy as a legend in the community of Afrobeat. “He has vast experience to date.
So, Sambo Productions finds it interesting to put in their resources and see how he can equally continue the legacy that his mentor, Fela, has already led, because he is one of the most committed, passionate, and dedicated among Fela’s disciples.
He still believes that this is a legacy that will not die no matter how other people hate it, but he would keep the legacy alive. So, with that it gave us a lot of interest to bring him and bring out this project to where it is today, and believing that the world is going to enjoy again, the original Afrobeat again through Showboy,” Abe Trombone said.
On what the teeming fans of Afrobeat and indeed, music enthusiasts, Olusegun Daniel who is the lead guitarist for Showboy, said: “Good music, like the ‘African Leaders’ remix, they are going to enjoy it. People are also going to enjoy the track ‘Peace’. We are going to touch the world.”
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