When Afrobeat Icon Femi Kuti left his father’s band, Egypt 80, it wasn’t a rebellious phase. It was simply a young man’s desire to express himself with his music. Although his band’s initial reception wasn’t as good as he would have loved, Femi Kuti surged on.
He shared with Netng the beginnings of his band and how the name came about:
“When I started my band, I left my father and moved to my mother’s. My friend at the time, Dele Sosemi, moved with me. He joined my father’s band because of me. So when I left, I called my elder sister and my younger sister, and I told them I want to start a band. My mother gave us the name ‘Positive Force.’ I wanted a more revolutionary name, so I called my band ‘Universal Revolutionary Front’ because I knew I would be very political universally.
My mother thought that was too much, and it would make people shy away. She said since it’s a positive action, give it ‘Positive Force.’ It shows that you left your father for good reasons. So the four of us started the Positive Force. The first time we performed was at Unilag on December 13, 1986. I will never forget that day. It was a Friday. I even remember what I wore. Yellow and black.”