Afropop Worldwide's Sean Barlow went to visit Afrobeat international ambassador Femi Kuti at his hotel in New York City the day after Femi's debut at Madison Square Garden where he opened for Live and Jane's Addiction. (This sold-out event was the first rock concert there since September 11th.) Femi talked about his just released new CD "Fight to Win" (MCA/Universal).

Afropop Worldwide: What does your new album, Fight to Win, deal with?
Femi Kuti: Fight to Win is a warning to corrupt African governments to be careful because too many people are suffering. In my country, the political leaders always wait until people are dying for the cause of revolution before they act - by then it's too late. My album is a warning to government officials that people will get agitated if they don't feel you are doing something for them. If you have the power to make a difference in people's lives, you should do that.

If you go by history, you will see that if Africa doesn't hurry up and stop the corruption, a revolution will definitely come. And unfortunately, the revolution could be a dog-eat-dog situation with people scrambling for whatever they can get - in other words, chaos. Let's do the right thing before it's too late.

APWW: There's a powerful quote from you printed in your new album: "Music will bring Africa back on the world map." What do you mean by this?
Femi: Because of the corruption, Africa is often looked down upon by outsiders. I believe that with the music scene here and artists like Baaba Maal and Angelique Kidjo, Africans can be proud of their heritage. There are things in Africa that will bring the respect of the world back to it, and I think music will expose the many good things Africa has to contribute to world affairs. As long as African musicians remain dedicated to their music and respectful of their ancestors, they'll keep showing others that there are things in Africa beyond the poverty and wars.

APWW: Elaborate on the meaning of your song "Do Your Best"
Femi: The objective in life, no matter where you're born or what your job is to do your best. Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to die someday and the purpose of life is to give all you can. If you're a musician you have to go all out to practice and know your instrument. If you're a doctor you have to give the patient your best. If any generation fails to do its best then we leave a big problem for the next generation. And that's the sin of life: when you give do your best. If I was lousy, my son would have nothing to build on, so it's best for me to build a solid foundation for him to take over. Whatever direction he wants to go in, he'll have my name, he'll have my investments so he'll have every tool at his disposal to give the nation or the world his best.

APWW: Why does the song "Stop AIDS" have such an upbeat melody and tempo?
Femi: AIDS is a very bad epidemic and the world is also dealing with terrorism right now. With all these problems people are dying and want to go to war and it's a crazy world we're living in right now. And the tempo is like that because I feel that when you're talking something very bitter and you really want people to listen; it's like taking a bitter pill with a sweet drink. So the nice up-tempo makes people dance to a very serious message. And then it registers in your mind. That was my plan with that song: to give it a good up-tempo, very nice horn lines, and some serious words to go with it. And I think AIDS the second most serious problem in Africa right now, after corruption.

APWW: Speaking of corruption, tell us more about your song "Traitors of Africa"?
Femi: How do we stop the corruption? I think the way to stop the corruption is if people on the streets can identify the leader and say "That's a traitor of Africa." And let them say, "Ey! Femi called you a "traitor of Africa." Instead of people being on the defensive, we have to put the leaders on the defensive. In Africa, when you become a leader, you think that instead of you serving the nation, the nation serves you, and your family and your friends. But it's supposed to be the reverse. You wanted to take office, you wanted to serve, you said you would serve. People go out to vote for you, or you took power by force, whichever way. They took power by telling people they would give homes, good hospitals, good schools, good everything. But you're only getting richer: stealingall the money in Africa and storing it in Europe and America. You're living the big life. You bring out the gun, people can't talk, people are afraid, you detain anyone who's opposed to you. So it's a way of making people not scared of speaking their mind and identifying all those people. We have to start identifying the leaders. They are labeled now so they don't feel safe wherever they are.

APWW: What about the other collaborators on the Album?
Femi: Jaguar Wright is signed on MCA and then there's Mos Def, there's Common, I worked with Money Mack, I worked with Peno (a very good bassist), I worked with some French musicians too. It made it more professional and more international, I think. Not just Nigerians can play Afrobeat. The experience I think will be expressed in my future works. When you meet people like this, right away you get new ideas. You either become more stupid or more intelligent. I hope that I will use all that and become more professional with my work. I think meeting them gives me the strength and the courage to want go out a play more instruments: Now I'm playing the trumpet and find time to teach myself the piano, to give my fans and people who love me more of what the Creator has given me in my life. And I'm trying even harder now to give it my very, very, very best.

APWW: What are you thoughts on September 11?
Femi: I ask, how can people be so bitter as to take their own lives and the lives of others with them? It's scary. You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. There's a religious war going on. Even in Nigeria now the last news we had was that the Muslims there are bombing all the churches. Why are people, in the name of God, doing all the things God says in their religious books are not right? Thou shall not kill. Do unto others as you want others to do unto you. And people are using God's name to do evil. How can people be so wicked and take innocent lives? If they're making a statement, it's a bad statement. Until we really believe that we want world peace and talk to all the politicians and build schools and make people feel loved, there will always be things like this going on. This is why I feel musicians have a very important role in world affairs. See our review of Femi Kuti's "Fight to Win" under Afropop Hot Picks on homepage.