HMV Magazine ranked him as #46 on a list of the 100 most influential musicians of the 20th century.
The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is essentially a fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, and traditional Yoruban chants and rhythms. It is characterized by having African-style percussion, vocals, and musical structure, along with jazzy, funky horn sections. The endless groove is also used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted guitar, and bass guitar are repeated throughout the song. His band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups using this instrument only use one. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip-hop. Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. Fela's songs were almost always over 10 minutes in length, some reaching the 20- or even 30-minute marks, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside of Africa. His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela's main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, guitar, and took the occasional drum solo. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa. Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the Underground Spiritual Game.
Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, to a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school Principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. His brothers, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti,both medical doctors, are both well known in Nigeria.
Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music that he would later call Afrobeat. The style was a fusion of American Jazz, psychedelic rock, and Funk with West African Highlife. In 1961, Fela married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, with whom he would have three children (Femi, Yeni, and Sola). In 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black power movement through Sandra Smith (now Isidore)βa partisan of the Black Panther Partyβwhich would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria β70. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the US without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The '69 Los Angeles Sessions.
Fela and his band, renamed Africa '70, returned to Nigeria. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. 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 (now released together with "He Miss Road" as Expensive Shit/He Miss Road).
In 1977 Fela and the Afrika β70 released the hit album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed if it were not for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Fela's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the main army barrack in Lagos and write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier," referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.
Fela and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978 Fela married 27 women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives. The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie," which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela was planning to use the entirety of the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.
Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called 'Movement of the People'. In 1979 he put himself forward for President in Nigeria's first elections for more than a decade but his candidature was refused. At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt 80 and continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed titled "I. T. T. (International Thief Thief)."
In 1984, he was again attacked by the Military government, who jailed him on a dubious charge of currency smuggling. His case was taken up by several human-rights groups, and after 20 months, he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida. On his release he divorced his 12 remaining wives, saying that "marriage brings jealousy and selfishness." Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt 80, made a number of successful tours of the United States and Europe and also continued to be politically active. In 1986, Fela performed in Giants Stadium in New Jersey as part of the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope concert, sharing the bill with Bono, Carlos Santana, and the Neville Brothers. In 1989, Fela & Egypt 80 released the anti-apartheid "Beasts of No Nation" album that depicts on its cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha with fangs dripping blood.
His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. The battle against military corruption in Nigeria was taking its toll, especially during the rise of dictator Sani Abacha. Rumors were also spreading that he was suffering from an illness for which he was refusing treatment. On 3 August 1997, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health, stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother's death a day earlier from Kaposi's sarcoma brought on by AIDS. (Their younger brother Beko was in jail at this time at the hand of Abacha for political activity). More than a million people attended Fela's funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound. A new Africa Shrine has opened since Fela's death in a different section of Lagos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti.
ITT
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
I.T.T. (international thief, thief)
International thief (international thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
International rogue (international thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, ah!
(Nah so-so increment sha)
(But sha man no go kill himself)
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, ah!
Wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, ah!
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, ah!
Hey (wetin una dey enjoy oh?)
(For overseas, overseas)
Motherfuckers, bastard motherfuckers (yeah)
Make I yab dem? (Yeah, yeah)
Iβ²ll yab them (yeah) say yeah (yeah)
(All those motherfuckers them)
(Yab them, yab them)
Well well, na true I want talk again oh (well, well)
Na true I want talk again oh (well, well)
If I dey lie oh (well, well)
Make Osiri punish me (well, well)
Make Ifa dey punish me oh (well, well)
Make Edumare punish me oh (well, well)
Make the land dey punish me oh (well, well)
Make Edumare punish me oh (well, well)
I read dem for book e oh (well, well)
I see some myself e oh (well, well)
Well e well e oh (well, well) well, well
Well e well e oh (well, well) well, well
Na true I want talk again oh (well, well)
If I dey lie oh (well, well)
Make Osiri punish me (well, well)
Make Ifa dey punish me oh (well, well)
Make Edumare punish me oh (well, well)
Make the land dey punish me oh (well, well)
I read dem for book e oh (well, well)
I see some myself e oh (well, well)
Well e well e oh (well, well) well, well
Well e well e oh (well, well) well, well
Na true I want talk again oh (well, well)
If I dey lie oh (well, well)
Make Osiri punish me (well, well)
Make Edumare punish me oh (well, well)
Make the land dey punish me oh (well, well)
Make Ifa dey punish me oh (well, well)
I read dem for book e oh (well, well)
I see some myself e oh (well, well)
I see some myself e oh (well, well) well, well
Well e well e oh (well, well) well, well
Long time ago
Long, long time ago (long time ago)
Long, long, long, long time ago (long time ago)
African man we no dey carry shit (long time ago)
We dey shit inside big-big hole (long time ago)
For Yoruba land na shalanga (long time ago)
For Igbo land na onu-insi (long time ago)
For Hausa land na saluga (long time ago)
For Gaa land na tiafi (long time ago)
For Ashanti land na yarni (long time ago)
For Ethiopia land na sagara-bet (long time ago)
For Kagiyu land na cho-cho (long time ago)
For Bemba land na chimbuzi (long time ago)
For Tunga land na echibuzi (long time ago)
Long, long, long, long time ago (long time ago)
African man we no dey carry shit (long time ago)
We dey shit inside big-big hole (long time ago)
Long, long, long, long time ago (long time ago)
Long, long, long, long time ago (long time ago)
Before them come force us away as slaves (long time ago)
During the time them come force us away as slaves
(Long time ago)
Na European man, na him dey carry shit (long time ago)
Na for them culture to carry shit (long time ago)
During the time them come colonize us (long time ago)
Them come teach us to carry shit (long time ago)
Long, long, long, long time ago (long time ago)
African man we no dey carry shit (long time ago)
Na European man teach us to carry shit (long time ago)
Many foreign companies dey Africa
Carry all our money go (say am, say am)
Many foreign companies dey Africa
Carry all our money go (say am, say am)
Them go write big English for newspaper
Dabaru we Africans (say am, say am)
Them go write big English for newspaper
Dabaru we Africans (say am, say am)
I read about one of them inside book like that
Them call him name na I.T.T. (say am, say am)
I read about one of them inside book like that
Them call him name na I.T.T. (say am, say am)
Them go dey cause confusion (confusion)
Cause corruption (corruption)
Cause oppression (oppression)
Cause inflation (inflation)
Them go dey cause oppression (oppression)
Cause confusion (confusion)
Cause corruption (corruption)
Cause inflation (inflation)
Cause oppression (oppression)
Cause confusion (confusion)
Cause inflation (inflation)
Cause oppression (oppression)
Oppression, oppression, inflation
Corruption, oppression, inflation
Them get one style wey them dey use
Them go pick one African man
A man with low mentality
Them go give am million naira breads
To become of high position here
Him go bribe some thousand naira bread
To become one useless chief
Like rat they do
Them go do from corner, corner, passi, passi
Under, under, passi, passi
Side, side, passi, passi
In, in, passi, passi
Out, out, passi, passi
Peep, peep, passi, passi
Unu, unu, passi, passi
Corner, corner, passi, passi
Under, under, passi, passi
Side, side, passi, passi
Up, up, passi, passi
Corner, corner, passi, passi
Under, under, passi, passi
Side, side
Then he gradually
Gradually, gradually, gradually
Then he gradually
Gradually, gradually, gradually
Them go be friend, friend to journalist
Friend, friend to Commissioner
Friend, friend to Permanent Secretary
Friend, friend to Minister
Friend, friend to Head of State
Then start, start to steal money
Start, start them corruption
Start, start them inflation
Start, start them oppression
Start, start them confusion
Start, start them oppression
Start, start to steal money
Start, start to steal money
Like Obasanjo and Abiola (international thief, thief)
I.T.T. (international thief, thief)
International rogue (international thief, thief)
International thief (international thief, thief)
We go fight them, well well (well, well)
Well, well (well, well) wellu, well (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
We don tire (well, well) to carry (well, well)
Anymore of them shit (well, well)
We don tire (well, well) to carry (well, well)
Anymore of them shit (well, well)
We don tire (well, well) to carry (well, well)
Anymore of them shit (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) wellu, wellu (well, well)
Wellu, wellu (well, well) ah, ye!
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well) wellu, wellu (well-well) wellu, wellu
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well)
(Well-well, well-well, well-well)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
(International thief, thief)
Fela Kuti's song "ITT" (which stands for International Thief-Thief) is a politically charged commentary on the corruption, exploitation, and oppression perpetuated by foreign companies in Africa. In the song, Fela targets the multinational corporations that he believes are stealing from Africa and exploiting its people. He uses the repeated refrain of "international thief-thief" to emphasize his point.
The song starts with Fela chanting "international thief-thief" over a rhythmic Afrobeat melody, and he goes on to highlight how these foreign companies are stealing from Africa by taking their resources, exploiting their workers, corrupting their governments, and manipulating their economies. He also criticizes how these companies use their financial power to influence the local media and government officials, and how they divide and conquer local communities.
At the end of the song, Fela calls on Africans to rise up and fight against these foreign companies and their corrupt practices. He sings that Africans have grown tired of carrying the burden of these companies' greed and exploitation, and he urges them to take action to reclaim their resources and their power.
Line by Line Meaning
International thief, thief
Referring to international corporations that exploit Africa and its resources
I.T.T. (international thief, thief)
Abbreviation for International Telephone and Telegraph, a multinational corporation known for its exploitative practices
International rogue (international thief, thief)
Describing the unethical behavior and actions of these international corporations
Wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu, wellu
Expressing frustration and exhaustion
Nah so-so increment sha
Criticizing the continuous increase in corruption and oppression
But sha man no go kill himself
Acknowledging the resilience and determination to continue fighting against injustice
Hey (wetin una dey enjoy oh?)
Questioning the benefits and enjoyment gained by those in power
Motherfuckers, bastard motherfuckers (yeah)
Expressing anger and contempt towards corrupt individuals
Make I yab dem? (Yeah, yeah)
Expressing the desire to criticize and expose their wrongdoing
Well well, na true I want talk again oh
Emphasizing the need to speak the truth and expose the corruption
If I dey lie oh (well, well)
Challenging anyone to prove him wrong
Make Osiri punish me (well, well)
Willing to face punishment if proven wrong
Long time ago
Referring to a time when African people were self-sufficient and not controlled by foreign powers
African man we no dey carry shit
Highlighting the independence and dignity of African people
For Yoruba land na shalanga
Describing how waste was disposed of in traditional Yoruba culture
Na European man, na him dey carry shit
Showing the influence of European colonialism and how they introduced the practice of carrying waste
Many foreign companies dey Africa
Pointing out the presence of exploitative foreign companies in Africa
Carry all our money go (say am, say am)
Accusing these companies of exploiting African resources for their own profit
Them go cause confusion, corruption, oppression, inflation
Denouncing the negative effects and consequences brought upon Africa by these companies
Them get one style wey them dey use
Revealing the tactics employed by these foreign companies
Them go pick one African man
Explaining how they manipulate and bribe individuals to serve their interests
Like rat they do
Comparing their actions to those of rodents
Them go gradually start to steal money, cause corruption, oppression, confusion
Describing the gradual process of corruption and exploitation initiated by these companies
Like Obasanjo and Abiola (international thief, thief)
Mentioning specific Nigerian figures known for their involvement in corruption
We go fight them, well well
Expressing the determination to resist and combat these corrupt forces
We don tire (well, well) to carry (well, well) anymore of them shit
Rejecting the burden of carrying the consequences of their actions
Writer(s): Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Contributed by Ruby S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@popsonjaiyesimi7670
Fela songs should be studied as an African Renaissance. It will change the psychology of the future generations.
@vickjr98
Fela Kuti. The greatest African to have ever lived
@oluchiosakwe
This song hits different. Fela was a prophet in the sense that all what he sang about is still happening decades after he said so. May his soul rest in perfect peace
@veelawrence4285
Yes it was same American company ITT he was referring. They were awarded a multi billion dollar telecommunications contract in Nigeria in the early 1970s along with their Nigerian agent MKO Abiola. They did such a substandard and shoddy work that inspires the music by Fela calling them international Thief Thief
@ondolite3789
Not widely known.
Thank you.
@adeniran77
22 years since the Legend departed..... Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Gone but never forgotten
@Jamjulius
adebayo adeniran God bless his spirit
@samola282
Legendary. The only Philosopher Nigeria if not Africa produced
@MBhat001
@@samola282 you people don't deserve such an icon. Killed him for different views on politics and subtle criticism.
@samola282
@@MBhat001 Not my people. Nigeria is divided into two. The Southern part are full of progressive Nigerians (Yoruba and Igbo) while the Northern part are full of Fulani jihadist. The Fulani jihadist that were in position of power in our Govt killed Fela . And have continued to terrorize the south. That's our predicament in the failed British experiment called Nigeria. Fela spent most of his life using his music to counter that evil Govt