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.
Shakara
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje
Kini won se npe o
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara oloje ni o
We get the Shakara man
We get the Shakara woman
Shakara man, him go say
"I go beat you, I go nearly kill you"
Na Shakara, I go beat you
You go be like you get accident
Na Shakara
You no know me, na Shakara
Wait make I commot my dress
Na Shakara
You see, even if you do nothing
Na Shakara oloje
We get a song for that
We dey sing am like this, we go say
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ma kan na e, ma kan na e pa
Iwo ke, oti mo mi ni
To ba to ko duro de mi o
Duro de mi ki'nbo so mi
Wa je baba nla iya iro ni o ko le ja
Oje lo nyo, kini won se npe o
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara oloje ni o
The Shakara woman
Tell am say, "My dear I like you"
She go say, "You like who?, who you like?"
Commot jare, look at this man
Why you come from self?
Non be me and you, no touch me o
Ah, you see, she wan do
Na Shakara
We dey call am Shakara oloje
We get a song for that
We sing am like this, we go sing
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
To ba f'owo kan mi
To ba f'owo kan mi
Jowo fi mi sile, tabi ki lo nse e
O m'egbe ni, nibo loti jawa
Nibo loti jawa
Nibo loti jawa to lokun lorun
Emi pelu re ko
Ah ah, Iro ni o, o fe se o oje lon'yo
Kini won se npe o
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara oloje ni o
Fela Kuti's song, Shakara, is a socio-political commentary in which he brilliantly criticizes the deceptive nature of people, particularly those in positions of power. The Yoruba phrase "To ba b'oni sakara pade" translates to "If you come across a sakara player," referring to the traditional Yoruba drummer, and Fela uses the image of a Sakara player to symbolize the people in power who deceive and oppress the masses. The phrase "Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje" means "The shot that won't kill the animal will only make the animal more fierce," implies that the people in power will become more ruthless if their strategies are unsuccessful. Shakara, which means "deception" or "drama" in Yoruba, is described in the song as the tool used by those in power to oppress the masses.
Fela paints a picture of both the Shakara man and woman in the song, highlighting their attitudes and tactics towards people. The Shakara man is arrogant and boasts about his abilities to intimidate, while the Shakara woman is cunning and deceptive in her interactions with others. Fela also shows how the Shakara people use music as a tool to manipulate and deceive people. He sings, "Even if you do nothing, we have a song for that, we sing it like this," emphasizing the power of music as a means of control.
The song ends with Fela singing, "To ba f'owo kan mi," meaning "If you owe me money," and he poses questions about what will happen in the event of non-payment. He points out that the Shakara people are liars and highlights the need for caution when dealing with them. In summary, Shakara is an outstanding critique of the deceptive nature of people in power, their use of music as a tool to manipulate people, and the importance of caution when dealing with them.
Line by Line Meaning
To ba b'oni sakara pade
If you come across a Shakara person
Pasan to ma fi na e oje l'o nje
Someone who likes to boast and intimidate others
Kini won se npe o
That's what they call Shakara
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life
Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life
We get the Shakara man
They have men who are experts in Shakara
We get the Shakara woman
They have women who are experts in Shakara
Shakara man, him go say
The Shakara man will say
"I go beat you, I go nearly kill you"
"I will beat you up, I will almost kill you"
Na Shakara, I go beat you
It's all part of Shakara to beat someone up
You go be like you get accident
You will look like you just had an accident
Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara
You no know me, na Shakara
You don't know me, it's just Shakara
Wait make I commot my dress
Let me take off my clothes
Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara
You see, even if you do nothing
Even if you did nothing wrong
Na Shakara oloje
It's all part of the Shakara lifestyle
We get a song for that
They have a song for that
We dey sing am like this, we go say
We sing it like this
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ma kan na e, ma kan na e pa
Don't touch me, don't touch me again
Iwo ke, oti mo mi ni
You, you know I didn't do anything
To ba to ko duro de mi o
If you continue to bother me
Duro de mi ki'nbo so mi
Leave me alone, what do you want from me?
Wa je baba nla iya iro ni o ko le ja
Come and see the great father, the mother of lying, no one can beat them
Oje lo nyo, kini won se npe o
Everything is for show, that's what they call Shakara
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life
Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life
The Shakara woman
The woman who loves Shakara
Tell am say, "My dear I like you"
Tells him/her, "My dear, I like you"
She go say, "You like who?, who you like?"
She'll say, "Who do you like?"
Commot jare, look at this man
Just leave, look at this man
Why you come from self?
Where did you come from?
Non be me and you, no touch me o
"It's not me and you, don't touch me"
Ah, you see, she wan do
Ah, you see, she wants to
Na Shakara
It's all part of Shakara
We dey call am Shakara oloje
They call it Shakara lifestyle
We get a song for that
They have a song for that
We sing am like this, we go sing
We sing it like this
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
Ah, ah, ah ni, ah ni, ah ni
To ba f'owo kan mi
If you owe me money
To ba f'owo kan mi
If you owe me money
Jowo fi mi sile, tabi ki lo nse e
Please leave me alone, or what do you want?
O m'egbe ni, nibo loti jawa
He's troublesome, where can we send him?
Nibo loti jawa
Where can we send him?
Nibo loti jawa to lokun lorun
Where can we send him to the end of the world?
Emi pelu re ko
It's not me and him
Ah ah, Iro ni o, o fe se o oje lon'yo
Ah ah, it's a lie, you want to do Shakara again?
Kini won se npe o
That's what they call Shakara
Shakara oloje ni
Shakara is their way of life
Shakara oloje ni o
Shakara is their way of life
Lyrics © F.K.O. Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG VM MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Kuti Fela Anikulapo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@felakuti
+Daphne Pitts
Hello Daphne Pitts. If you haven't seen the Finding Fela film and you would love to see it, you can purchase the film documentary in the shop section on http://fela.net/
Here some preview videos from the Finding Fela DVD/Blu Ray;
Finding Fela's Talking Heads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0y6P6-GNDs
The Music of Fela Kuti (discussion) - From Finding Fela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2zqz5jWF4
Enjoy
@anibiretemitope3441
My mother is sick with cancer and Baba fela songs are all she wants to listen too😂😂 To God be the glory is getting better 🙏
@prettyhollypolly7553
Aww I'm sorry hope she gets better.
@josemariaherrador2864
The only artist that every time he put a record out got arrested and suffer imprisonment.
Some balls. Respect to Fela.
@josemariaherrador2864
I know. Did you see 'Finding Fela documentary. Brilliant footage.
@josemariaherrador2864
+Daphne Pitts this is a 2014 documentary. watch. very good.
@felakuti
+Daphne Pitts
Hello Daphne Pitts. If you haven't seen the Finding Fela film and you would love to see it, you can purchase the film documentary in the shop section on http://fela.net/
Here some preview videos from the Finding Fela DVD/Blu Ray;
Finding Fela's Talking Heads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0y6P6-GNDs
The Music of Fela Kuti (discussion) - From Finding Fela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB2zqz5jWF4
Enjoy
@dakotak51
+Jose Maria Herrador Gucci mane tho
@acehardy1393
+Jose Maria Herrador where are you from?
@lexifanpxge
i’m only 15 , my dad played Fela 24/7 now i know all the words to all his music & i just want to say rip to a legend 💚
@alexhelm6784
kiss ur dad for tht knowledge