Fela Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria to a middle-class family. Fela relocated to London in 1958 with the intention of studying medicine but decided to study music instead. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music he called Afrobeat. The style was a fusion of American jazz with West African highlife. In 1969 Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the black power movement which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band "Nigeria 70".