Babatunmida (or, simply, Baba) Kuboye’s wish for anyone hearing his buoyant, vibrant, joyful music is a simple one.
“Feeling happier, feeling lighter, feeling the good energy to spread good vibes to others,” said the Nigeria-born, Dallas-based Afrobeat singer-songwriter during a recent conversation. “I think good vibes make the world go around. Everybody always, usually, has some type of challenge or frustration — things going on in their world. Music helps to navigate that. My music is always uplifting.”
Kuboye, whose parents, Fran and Tunde, are renowned Afrojazz musicians and co-founders of the landmark Jazz 38 club in Lagos, and whose grand-uncle, Fela Kuti, is perhaps the world’s most widely recognized Afrobeat artist, is forging his own path, through his solo career as well as the founding of Down 4 Whateva Entertainment, the first minority-owned, independent Afrobeat label in the United States.
The Grammy-nominated Kuboye, who will perform Saturday in downtown Dallas at Strauss Square. Ahead of that appearance, I spoke with him about how he arrived in Dallas, the goals for his record label and the difference between responsibility and purpose. The following conversation has been lightly edited and condensed.
How did you arrive in Dallas? You could presumably live anywhere — how did you end up here?
That’s a great question. In a previous life, I was in consulting in IT [information technology] — well, engineering, and similar to how Silicon Valley and San Fran is the hub for companies like that, in Dallas, some of the telco companies, this is their hub. So I moved out here to grow my business. When I first moved to the U.S., I was living in Atlanta and Mississippi before, but I moved to Dallas to grow that business. And I’ve never left ever since, but I’ve left the world of telco.
You founded a label, Down 4 Whateva — what are you hoping to achieve?
I founded it — I’ve had the label since I was living in the UK and in Nigeria before that. I’m the guinea pig, in the sense where I’m growing from scratch, trying to learn how to grow, distribute and uphold the culture through music, and find similar artists I can do the same for. The kind of music that I do is mainstream, but the messaging is sometimes not popular, and we don’t have the backing of major labels. … I want to help other artists on a similar journey or path, to be able to expand their light and reach their fan base through the label.
That leads me to my next question, and the idea of responsibility. It’s almost a two-fold responsibility, particularly for you, because of your family history, but also the idea of speaking truth to power, speaking to racism and social inequalities. Do you feel any weight, any awareness of those responsibilities?
I wouldn’t use the term responsibility — it’s purpose, and I’ll put it this way. … It’s community service; it’s a purpose; it’s a goal. It’s no responsibility — it’s just carrying that on. There’s no point in having the gift of music, of the art, if you’re not using it to speak truth and to help others find their truth. … I want to use my voice to speak truth as I know it … and help those who want to as well, to be able to shine their light and connect with listeners who can help heal, because music is really healing.
Baba Kuboye Presents Cultural Canvas — Afrobeats Vibes at Strauss Square, Dallas. 7:30 p.m. June 14. Tickets are $34.50-$100.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
