Fela Kuti – Expensive Shit
Many people consider Fela Kuti the Godfather of Afrobeat music, which fuses Jazz, Funk, and African style rhythms.
He was one of the first to do this.
Born in 1938 in Nigeria, Fela grew up in a middle class family, where his mom was a feminist and his dad was a minister and school principal. His parents sent him to London in 1958 to study music, but instead he enrolled in Trinity College of Music and while there, started the band Koola Lobitos. This marked the beginning of Fela’s long and politically motivated musical career. Here’s the synopsis:
Man writes song that suggests Nigerian soldiers are Zombies. Nigerian soldiers attack Fela’s commune. Fela’s life is spared by army commander. Fela writes more music referring to attacks. Fela creates his own political party. Fela marries 28 women in one year. Fela is jailed on wrongful charges. Fela performs at Amnesty International Concert in Giants stadium with Bono and Carlos Santana. Fela dies in 1997, probably due to illness. One million people attend his funeral.
And you thought your life could be influential…
For any current soul, lounge, disco, or funk artist, chances are, Fela Kuti had a noticeable influence on their styles, either direct or indirect.
i have to give mr. phillip craig credit for hitting me with this knowledge, but its too too good. From wikipedia:
“As popular as Fela’s music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. In 1974 the police arrived with a search warrant and a cannabis joint, which they had intended to plant on Fela. He became wise to this and swallowed the joint. In response, the police took him into custody and waited to examine his feces. Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and gave the police someone else’s feces, and Fela was freed. He then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit. “
If that’s the case, that shit ain’t expensive. That shit be priceless.