Young Fela Kuti at Trinity College of Music in London in the late 1950s, in the College Blazer. Trinity College, one of the oldest and most esteemed music schools in the world, was established in 1872.
After his parents sent him to London to study medicine, Fela arrived in 1958 to study composition and trumpet performance at Trinity College of Music, which is now known as Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. His band Koola Lobitos, which invented the modern Afrobeat musical genre, was formed while he was a student.
James Brown, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Yoruba traditional music, and Ghanaian and Nigerian “highlife” culture were among the influences on his music. As a result, Koola Lobitos became a mainstay of the London music scene. Following Fela’s return to Nigeria in 1969, Koola Lobitos underwent several identities, including Nigeria ’70, Afrika ’70, Egypt ’70, and Egypt ’80.
While on tour in the United States in 1969, he became aware of the Black Power movement, which had a significant impact on his music and caused his songs to address social and political issues.