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MFM SPEAKS OUTAuthor: Musicians For Musicians
Launched on February 14, 2020, the MFM Speaks Out podcast seeks to further the mission of the musician's rights advocacy organization Musicians For Musicians (MFM). Episodes are released monthly and feature interview-style discussions on issues that affect the creative rights of musicians. MFM represents a strong voice in the fight for making music a legitimate profession. The main hosts are MFM members Adam Reifsteck and Dawoud Kringle supervised by MFM President Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Music, Music Interviews Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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EP 53: Kaleta on Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, and the Power of Collective Music
Episode 54
Friday, 23 January, 2026
Guest: Leon "Kaleta" Ligan-Majekodunmi (Afrobeat guitarist, composer, bandleader)Host: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, aka SoSaLa, MFM PresidentKey Topics & HighlightsKaleta’s early life in BeninGrowing up near the Nigerian borderSecretly learning guitar against family expectationsFirst musical breakthroughs through church and street performancesMoving to Lagos at age 15Learning English while building a music careerImmersion in juju, highlife, and early AfrobeatJoining King Sunny Adé’s band as a teenagerWriting and recording “E Ba Mi Dupe”Kaleta’s composition recorded by King Sunny AdéBreakdown of juju guitar techniquesJoining Fela KutiAuditioning at the ShrineLife inside Kalakuta RepublicAfrobeat as discipline, politics, and collective thinkingTouring globally with Fela through the 1980s and early ’90sImmigration and life after FelaStaying in the U.S. after Fela’s final tour (1991)Rebuilding from scratchFounding multiple Afrobeat projects in New YorkWorking with Lauryn HillA chance rehearsal encounter led to touring togetherAfrobeat’s influence across genres and generations“Country of Guns”Writing the song after witnessing gun violence news in the U.S.Music as social commentary, not just entertainmentAfrobeat in AmericaThoughts on Antibalas and non-African Afrobeat bandsAfrobeat vs. modern AfrobeatsAfrobeat as “roots music,” not museum musicMusic, organizing, and musicians’ rightsFESTAC 77 FESTIVAL and Pan-Africanism Why musicians must act collectivelyParallels between Fela’s activism and MFM’s missionMusic Featured in the EpisodeKing Sunny Adé – E Ba Mi Dupe (composed/arranged by Kaleta)Zozo Afrobeat – Country of GunsKaleta & Super Yamba Band – Mr. DivaKaleta & Super Yamba Band – Ajogan Blues CreditsProducer and host: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi aka SoSaLaPublisher: Musicians For Musicians (MFM), Inc.Technical support: Adam Reifsteck (MFM Board)https://musiciansformusicians.org
