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)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party—which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria ’70. 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 ’70 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.
Rain
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We fear for the things we no see
We fear for the air around us
We all have reason to fear
Fela! You have come all this way
To ask for my blessing
But I refuse to give you permission
To use what happened to me
Are you ready to listen now?
Oba l′ogun, oba l'ogun, oba l′ogun (oba l'ogun)
The fiercest warrior to ever live (oba l'ogun)
Fought the alupopogbon, gbogbon
Demons who kill with their cries
Ooh, their cries, their terrible cries
Monsters that kill with their terrible cries
In their fury, the alupopogbon, gbogbon
Alupopogbon, gbogbon, alupopogbon, gbogbon
Sucked their men and charged
But oba l′ogun no run
He stuffed his ears with dirt
And luring the demons into his arms, he burst into flames
Cleansing the Earth
Yemaya, Yemaya, Yemaya
When the mother of the gods, Yemaya
Saw her son burst to flame
She cried, tears of loss, tears of pride
Ooh, ooh, oh she cried (Yemaya)
Her tears turned to rain
Ooh the rain, ooh the rain
The rain, the rain, flooded the Earth
So Fela, Fela
Let the Heavens weep
Soon the Earth will laugh
May laughter give birth to birds
The bird bloom into flower
The flower grow to tree
Oh-oh-oh, mighty tree, ready for the next storm
Let the battles rage
Let the demons cry
Let the mothers weep, let the bullets fly
Even if you must die
Go back to where you belong
Let the battles rage
Let the demons cry
Let the mothers burn
Let the water rise
Even if you must die
Stand firm, never run
Let the battles rage
Let the demons cry
Let the Heavens weep
Let tomorrow come
Let the rain fall
Let the rain fall
The song "Rain" by Fela Kuti is a commentary on the fear that plagues humanity. The first verse lays out the reasons for this fear - people are afraid of things they cannot see or understand. Fela Kuti then speaks directly to the listener or perhaps his fellow musician, saying that he will not allow them to use his personal experiences as an excuse to run away from their fears.
The next section of the song tells a story of Oba l'ogun, the fiercest warrior to ever live. He faced off against the alupopogbon, gbogbon, demonic creatures that could kill with their cries. Despite their horror, Oba l'ogun didn't run. Instead, he stuffed his ears with dirt to protect himself from the cries and then lured the demons in, bursting into flames and cleansing the Earth. Yemaya, the mother of the gods, cried tears of loss and pride at the sight of her son's sacrifice. These tears turned into the rain that flooded the Earth.
The chorus repeats the phrase "let the rain fall," perhaps as a call to action, telling listeners to face their fears head-on and let the natural world take its course. The song ends with a call for bravery even in the face of certain death. The battles must rage, the demons must cry, and the heavens must weep. But even in the midst of the chaos, a new day will come.
Line by Line Meaning
People all dey fear too much
We humans have too much fear in us
We fear for the things we no see
Our fears stem from things that we cannot see
We fear for the air around us
Our fears extend to the environment around us
We all have reason to fear
Everyone has something to fear
Fela! You have come all this way
Hey, Fela! You've traveled quite the distance
To ask for my blessing
To request a blessing from me
But I refuse to give you permission
Sorry, I cannot grant you permission
To use what happened to me
To use my experiences as justification
As your excuse to run away
As a reason for you to flee
Are you ready to listen now?
Are you ready to hear me out?
Oba l'ogun, oba l'ogun, oba l'ogun (oba l'ogun)
The king of war, the king of war, the king of war
The fiercest warrior to ever live (oba l'ogun)
He was the most formidable warrior that ever lived
Fought the alupopogbon, gbogbon
He fought against the alupopogbon, gbogbon
Demons who kill with their cries
Evil spirits that kill using their screams
Ooh, their cries, their terrible cries
Their screams were indeed terrible
Monsters that kill with their terrible cries
These monsters can kill using their screams alone
In their fury, the alupopogbon, gbogbon
In their rage, the alupopogbon and gbogbon
Sucked their men and charged
They sucked in their men and charged ahead
But oba l'ogun no run
But the king of war did not run away
He stuffed his ears with dirt
He sealed his ears with earth
And luring the demons into his arms, he burst into flames
He drew in the demons and self-immolated, burning them to ashes
Cleansing the Earth
Purifying and cleansing the earth from these monsters
Yemaya, Yemaya, Yemaya
Yemaya, Yemaya, Yemaya
When the mother of the gods, Yemaya
At that moment, Yemaya, the mother of gods
Saw her son burst to flame
Witnessed her son erupt in flames
She cried, tears of loss, tears of pride
Her tears were a mix of sadness and pride
Ooh, ooh, oh she cried (Yemaya)
She cried, oh she cried (Yemaya)
Her tears turned to rain
Her tears became drops of rain
Ooh the rain, ooh the rain
Oh the rain, oh the rain
The rain, the rain, flooded the Earth
The rain flooded the Earth
So Fela, Fela
So, Fela, Fela
Let the Heavens weep
Let the Heavens cry
Soon the Earth will laugh
Soon the Earth will be happy again
May laughter give birth to birds
May laughter lead to the arrival of birds
The bird bloom into flower
And the birds in turn yield flowers
The flower grow to tree
These flowers will grow into trees
Oh-oh-oh, mighty tree, ready for the next storm
Oh mighty tree, capable of withstanding the fiercest storms
Let the battles rage
Let the fights ensue
Let the demons cry
Let the evil spirits weep
Let the mothers weep, let the bullets fly
Let the mothers cry while gunfire erupts
Even if you must die
Even if death is imminent
Go back to where you belong
Return to where you came from
Let the Heavens weep
Let the Heavens cry
Let tomorrow come
Let tomorrow arrive
Let the rain fall
Let the rain pour down
Let the rain fall
Let the rain fall
Writer(s): Lennon John Winston, Mccartney Paul James
Contributed by Hannah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@toughhaunt
Love me some Lillias; Love me some FELA!!
@bmkfan
She sang me to tears...
@missmaddie90
I currently have the privilege of seeing Lillias White do Ms Sherman in Fame at the moment and she constantly blows me away!
@Gizmo8350
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
@cfgoodygoody
she has an amazing voice! her performance of this song left me speechless!
@sk8rtuti
Lillias is the nicest and most talented person on Broadway.
@borogal81
I saw Lillias sing this song in person and it brought tears to my eyes. The reaction was most unexpected, and even now when I hear it the song overwhelms me.
@michaelthomas4277
This show was amazing!
@Tukkiman
wordless
@JairTheLiteraryMasturbator
I saw the show for the first time last night here in Oakland, Ca. Melanie Marshall plays the role of, "Funmilayo" and she was incredible. Lillias White is an orbit of talent unto herself. Patti LaBelle is of course a vocal powerhouse but what Ms. Marshall brought to the role was amazing. The entire production, cast, and performance has left me tingling.