Oloye Rabiu Ayandokun Okanlawon | 6/21/1958 - 4/4/2022
A memorial tribute to the late great Nigerian Bata Drumming Master Oloye Rabiu Ayandokun from Erin Osun, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Chief Rabiu was an all-round master drummer, accomplished in an array of Yoruba traditions and drumming styles. He was one of the most revered bata drummers in Nigeria, and perhaps the most famous Yoruba bata drummer in the world. At home in Nigeria, he was known for his expertise in every genre from bata to juju, apala, fuji, highlife, Afrofunk, pop and jazz. Between 1987 and 2002, Rabiu toured internationally performing in dozens of high-profile festivals and independent tours of the USA, Germany, India, Austria, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Holland and France. Apart from being steeped in Yoruba tradition as a ritual drummer, and touring with his masqueraders, Rabiu was a flexible and experimental virtuoso, leading his eclectic group Okuta Percussion (1989-1996), which fused Yoruba, Indian, Indonesian and Australian Aboriginal traditions.
Chief Rabiu was an all-round master drummer, accomplished in an array of Yoruba traditions and drumming styles. He was one of the most revered bata drummers in Nigeria, and perhaps the most famous Yoruba bata drummer in the world. At home in Nigeria, he was known for his expertise in every genre from bata to juju, apala, fuji, highlife, Afrofunk, pop and jazz. Between 1987 and 2002, Rabiu toured internationally performing in dozens of high-profile festivals and independent tours of the USA, Germany, India, Austria, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Holland and France. Apart from being steeped in Yoruba tradition as a ritual drummer, and touring with his masqueraders, Rabiu was a flexible and experimental virtuoso, leading his eclectic group Okuta Percussion (1989-1996), which fused Yoruba, Indian, Indonesian and Australian Aboriginal traditions.
