Nigerian Afro-beat star Femi Kuti [ tickets ] is set to launch a North American tour this month to support his latest record, "The Definitive Collection."

The jaunt gets underway June 30 at Festival International De Jazz de Montreal and makes stops at several other Canadian and US festivals before hitting the club/theater circuit in July. The tour's finale is set for Aug. 3 at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The itinerary is shown below.

Kuti, the son of Afro-beat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, released "The Definitive Collection" in May. The double-CD set draws on all three of Femi Kuti's albums, including tracks from his hard-to-find debut. Also included is a duet with Rachid Taha singing "Ala Jalkoum" and a cover of Fela's "Water No Get Enemy," which was on the "Red Hot and Riot" tribute album. A limited-edition bonus CD includes 10 remix tracks.

Kuti, who has spent two decades building a solo career in the shadow of his legendary father, will mark two important anniversaries this year: 10 years since his father's AIDS-related death and 200 years since the UK's abolition of slavery, an issue he is very outspoken about.

The performer began his career playing in his father's band and formed his own group, Positive Force, in the mid-8'0s. Like his father, he has used his music for political commentary, but the younger Kuti has made lifestyle choices that are far less likely to anger the Nigerian government, making the establishment more likely to work in cooperation with him, according to Kuti's bio.

Fela Kuti [ tickets ] is credited for creating Afro-beat music, which fuses jazz, soul and funk with African percussion and vocal stylings. Femi is said to have offered a more streamlined and up-to-date version of Afro-beat, exemplified by his latest studio album, 2001's "Fight to Win," on which he adds a hip-hop element, collaborating with US acts including Common and Mos Def.