Afrobeat Quiz: Fela Kuti, Tony Allen and Big Horn Sections

This Afrobeat quiz grooves to the long, political jams born in Lagos in the late 1960s and 1970s. Play 10 interactive questions on Fela Kuti, drummer Tony Allen, mixes of highlife, jazz, funk and Yoruba rhythms, huge horn sections, the Africa 70 band, the Kalakuta Republic, the song Zombie, the Afrika Shrine club and how Afrobeat differs from Afrobeats.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Afrobeat from?
Creator
Who is the main creator of Afrobeat?
Drums
Which drummer co-created the Afrobeat rhythm?
Mix
Which styles blend in Afrobeat?
Horns
What is a hallmark of Afrobeat bands?
Length
How long are many Afrobeat songs?
Band
What was Fela's 1970s band called?
Compound
What did Fela call his Lagos compound?
Zombie
What did the song Zombie mock?
Name
How is Afrobeat different from Afrobeats?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Afrobeat from?
Answer: Nigeria
It grew in Lagos.
Q2: Who is the main creator of Afrobeat?
Answer: Fela Kuti
He was a bandleader and activist.
Q3: Which drummer co-created the Afrobeat rhythm?
Answer: Tony Allen
Fela said there would be no Afrobeat without him.
Q4: Which styles blend in Afrobeat?
Answer: Highlife, jazz, funk and Yoruba rhythms
James Brown was an influence.
Q5: What is a hallmark of Afrobeat bands?
Answer: Big horn sections
Saxophones and trumpets riff together.
Q6: How long are many Afrobeat songs?
Answer: Often over 10 minutes
Grooves build slowly.
Q7: What was Fela's 1970s band called?
Answer: Africa 70
Egypt 80 followed.
Q8: What did Fela call his Lagos compound?
Answer: The Kalakuta Republic
He declared it independent.
Q9: What did the song Zombie mock?
Answer: Soldiers blindly following orders
The army later raided his home.
Q10: How is Afrobeat different from Afrobeats?
Answer: Afrobeats is a later pop style
Burna Boy and Wizkid lead Afrobeats.

Long Grooves and Big Horns From Lagos

Afrobeat was created in Lagos, Nigeria, in the late 1960s and 1970s by bandleader Fela Kuti and drummer Tony Allen. It blends highlife, jazz, funk and Yoruba rhythms, influenced by James Brown, with interlocking guitars and big horn sections.

Songs often run over 10 minutes, building slowly as horns riff over Allen's drumming. Fela's band Africa 70 played at his club, the Afrika Shrine, and he declared his compound the Kalakuta Republic. His lyrics attacked corruption and military rule.

His 1976 song Zombie mocked soldiers blindly following orders, and the army later raided his compound. Afrobeat differs from Afrobeats, a later pop style led by artists such as Burna Boy and Wizkid, though both draw on Nigerian music.

What This Quiz Teaches

Music fans will enjoy these questions.

Who created Afrobeat
Which styles it mixes
How the bands sound
Why songs were political
How it differs from Afrobeats

Did You Know?

Femi and Seun Kuti continue Fela's music.
A Broadway musical told his story.
Fela played saxophone and keyboards.
Water No Get Enemy is a classic.
The New Afrika Shrine opened in 2000.