Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, Said grew up in the very same community that produced the legendary Fela Kuti, father of afro-beat and innovator of funk. From a young age he was passionate about music, making mix tapes and DJing for his friends, and spending his nights at Fela Kuti's nightclub, Shrine. With this strong musical foundation, Said decided to leave Lagos and head to London to pursue an academic career, but while he was there he also became involved in the underground dance scene. When he came to the U.S. in 1988, he found himself becoming more and more fascinated with the music scene and soon he was DJing in clubs in San Francisco and New York. He went on to found Fatsouls, his "supersonic campaign outlet", as well as its monthly party Atmosfere.