Monday, November 24, 2008

Seun Kuti Storms Abuja's Velodrome in MTV Africa Music Awards

Yes, like father, like son; and he is following the footsteps of his father, the legendary Chief Priest and Baba of Afro Beat, Fela. I watched this young kid perform last Summer here in Los Angeles and he was just a carbon copy of his dad, in gestures and performances. Seun started playing the sax and piano at the age of eight and by the time he was 15 he was already a master of the wind instruments.

Well, while there is still chaos in the Niger-Delta region of that troubled country called Nigeria, at the same time, the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards in Abuja, Nigeria, at the Velodrome, had already watered down and folks out there in that corrupt capital city, yes, corrupt (Nuhu Ribadu is locked up for no reason, remember?), were stomping and made some noise as Compton-bred The Game, Kelly Rowland, Flo-Rida and many other poerformers were in the house that was jamming with the wizard dribbler Austen "JJ" Okocha as presenter of some of the awards, political tussle in a do-nothing Umaru Yar'Adua's administration continued apace.

Seun who opened the show performed "Army Arrangement" and accepted the inaugural Mama Legend Award in honor of his late father, the Chief Priest.

According to media reports, the occasion was electric and Nigerian performers took home most of the awards on that Saturday, November 22, 2008, when it was all magic and not darkness. The vibes seems to be grooving with a newer generation and let's bring it down.