Featuring Rasaki Aladokun, former drummer for King Sunny Adé ("King of Juju Music").

Rasaki is a master drummer from Nigeria who comes from a traditional drumming family. Drumming is something that is passed down from generation to generation. His father was a drummer, his mother was a singer, two of his brothers and one of his sisters are drummers, and he is teaching most of his children how to drum.

He comes from the Yorubá ethnic group, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. He grew up and spent his youth in that country but then began touring internationally with King Sunny Adé (known as the "King of Juju Music"). Now, Rasaki has settled with his wife and children in Oakland, California. In the documentary, he demonstrates some of the drums and other percussion instruments from his heritage (the batá, both the large and the small "talking drum" and others). He also explains how they fit into the society and culture in which he was raised - fascinating stuff!

And he plays the djimbe for us because, as he explains, even though it doesn't come from Nigeria, he can really play it "real good." And yes, he can and he does.

The half-hour documentary is part of our series-in-progress, "Speaking of Rhythm." Rasaki is not only a skillful percussionist but also an infectiously happy person with wonderful stories to tell. He and his drums are all the more interesting because they not only show us something about an important group of people in West Africa, but also because the Yorubá have played a role in America: many African Americans in the United States have Yorubá roots, and even more in some Latin American countries, where the traditional religion Rasaki follows is practiced with a few modifications.