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.
Yellow Fever
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Different different fever na him dey
Different different fever na him dey
Different different fever na him dey
Malaria fever nko? (He dey!)
Jaundice fever nko? (He dey!)
Hay fever nko? (He dey!)
Influenza fever nko? (He dey!)
Inflation fever nko? (He dey!)
Freedom fever nko? (He dey!)
Yellow fever nko? (He dey!)
[Chorus]
Na him dey bring the matter now he dey!
Yellow fever nko? (He dey!)
[Chorus]
Na him dey bring the matter now he dey!
I say tell them make them hear (You say!)
All fever na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Hay fever na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Malaria na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Jaundice na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Influenza na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Inflation na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Freedom na sickness (You say!)
Original sickness (You say!)
Yellow fever nko? (You say!)
[Chorus]
Original and artificial he dey!
Yellow fever nko? (You say!)
One more...
[Chorus]
Original and artificial he dey!
Bom bom bom, tell me now...
Original catch you
Your eye go yellow
Your yansh go yellow
Your face go yellow
Your body go weak
I say but later if you no die inside
The yellow go fade away
Artificial catch you
You be man or woman
Na you go catch am yourself
Na your money go do am for you
You go yellow pass yellow
You go catch moustache for face
You go get your double colour
Your yansh go black like coal
You self go think say you dey fine
Who say you fine?
[Chorus]
Na lie, you no fine at all!
At all, na lie!
My sister, who say you fine?
[Chorus]
Na lie, you no fine at all!
At all, na lie!
Yellow fever
[Chorus]
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach!
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
African mother
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
Sissi wey dey go
Yellow fever
Stupid thing
Yeye thing
Fucking thing
Ugly thing
Yellow fever
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
African mother
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
Sissi wey dey go
Yellow fever
Now to the underground spiritual game
Underground where dey down for school
Over there for school, yes
Where dey go say: teacher
Oya!
[Chorus]
Teacher!
Who steal my bleaching?
My precious bleaching?
I buy am for shopping
For forty naira
How I go yellow?
How I go find out?
I go die o
I go die o
I go die o
According to complaint
Complaint must get answer
I beg please, help me help teacher
Oya, foolish
Oya!
[Chorus]
Foolish!
Who steal your bleaching?
Your precious bleaching?
You buy am for shopping
For forty naira
You self all yellow
How you go find out?
Your face go yellow
Your yansh go black
Your moustache go show
Your skin go scatter
You go die o
You go die o
You go die o
You go die o
[Chorus]
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach!
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
African mother
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
Sissi wey dey go
Yellow fever
Stupid thing
Yeye thing
Fucking thing
Ugly thing
Yellow fever
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
African mother
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach
Sissi wey dey go
Yellow fever
The song "Yellow Fever" by Fela Kuti is a critique of the phenomenon of skin bleaching, which he refers to as "Yellow Fever." Kuti highlights the various illnesses and fevers, both natural and artificial, that affect people, but he emphasizes that yellow fever is the most insidious. He sings that yellow fever is a stupid, yeye (meaning bad or useless), ugly thing that people engage in. He also notes that while natural yellow fever, caused by the mosquito-borne virus, can be overcome, artificial yellow fever is self-inflicted and often irreparable. Kuti berates African women who bleach, calling them sissies and stupid.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "Na him dey bring the matter now he dey," which means that yellow fever is the root cause of the problem. The lyrics are in pidgin English, a Creole language spoken in West Africa that blends elements of English and various African languages.
Fela Kuti was an activist who used his music to express political and social ideas. He was a major exponent of the Afrobeat genre, which combines elements of African music, jazz, funk, and soul. Kuti's music often reflected his opposition to military dictatorship and colonialism, as well as his advocacy for Pan-Africanism and the rights of the poor and oppressed. "Yellow Fever" is one of his most famous songs on the topic of skin bleaching.
Line by Line Meaning
Different different fever na him dey
There are various types of fevers
Malaria fever nko? (He dey!)
Malaria fever exists
Jaundice fever nko? (He dey!)
Jaundice fever exists
Hay fever nko? (He dey!)
Hay fever exists
Influenza fever nko? (He dey!)
Influenza fever exists
Inflation fever nko? (He dey!)
Inflation fever exists
Freedom fever nko? (He dey!)
The fever for freedom exists
Yellow fever nko? (He dey!)
Yellow fever exists
Na him dey bring the matter now he dey!
These fevers are the issue being discussed
I say tell them make them hear (You say!)
I am saying to others, let them listen
All fever na sickness (You say!)
All fevers are illnesses
Original sickness (You say!)
Unaltered sickness
Inflation na sickness (You say!)
Inflation is a sickness
Na him dey bring the matter now he dey!
These fevers are the issue being discussed
Original and artificial he dey!
Both natural and artificial fevers exist
Original catch you
You get naturally ill
Your eye go yellow
Your eyes will turn yellow
Your yansh go yellow
Your backside will turn yellow
Your face go yellow
Your face will turn yellow
Your body go weak
Your body will become weak
I say but later if you no die inside
But, if you do not die from it
The yellow go fade away
The yellow skin color will disappear
Artificial catch you
You get ill from using unnatural products
You be man or woman
Whether you are male or female
Na you go catch am yourself
You bring it upon yourself
Na your money go do am for you
You use your money to cause it
You go yellow pass yellow
You will become excessively yellow
You go catch moustache for face
You will grow a mustache on your face
You go get your double colour
Your skin color will change in two places
Your yansh go black like coal
Your backside will turn black
You self go think say you dey fine
You will think you look good
Who say you fine?
Who told you that you look nice?
Na lie, you no fine at all!
No, you do not look good
My sister, who say you fine?
My sister, who told you that you look good?
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach!
You are bleaching your skin!
African mother
A mother from Africa
Sissi wey dey go
A young lady who is about to leave
Stupid thing
A foolish action
Yeye thing
A worthless thing
Fucking thing
A cursed thing
Ugly thing
An unattractive thing
Now to the underground spiritual game
Now, let us talk about underground cultural practices
Underground where dey down for school
Underground where they learn about these things
Over there for school, yes
There, where they learn about these things
Where dey go say: teacher
Where they call out for the teacher
Who steal my bleaching?
Who has stolen my skin-bleaching product?
My precious bleaching?
The valuable skin-bleaching goods I purchased
I buy am for shopping
I bought it while shopping
How I go yellow?
Why have I become yellow?
How I go find out?
How can I discover who stole it?
I go die o
I am going to die
According to complaint
According to what has been mentioned
Complaint must get answer
The complaint must be addressed
I beg please, help me help teacher
Please, assist me in helping the teacher
Foolish
Stupid
Your self all yellow
You too have turned yellow
Your skin go scatter
Your skin will become rough
You dey bleach, o you dey bleach!
You are bleaching your skin!
Writer(s): Kuti Fela Anikulapo Copyright: BMG Vm Music France, Fko Music
Contributed by Miles F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@hakeemfowomola7222
The INSTRUMENTAL... Before the verses start... is a masterpiece!
@marcelosandovallopez8780
and in the verses too, totally masterpiece
@mohamedbahaoudinesom7734
Just like that Mr. President Rest In Power. Thanks that we had the opportunity to admire you. In Douala 1972 and Bonn Germany August 1988.
I came back from Africa last week with malaria and by dancing on the rythm of the present tune I'm healed.
The artist never dy.
@christopherotasowie1425
Those who Thumbs down this track must be the people Fela is singing about.
@marcelloaguilar6463
That is so funny. It's 0328 in the morning you made my rest of the day. Thanks brother....
@osazuwaogbeide1540
39 people who disliked this they all have yellow fever
@louisotieno4712
Spot on... Impudent Bleachers... I'm sure they habe even bleached their minds😆😁😂
@isinbadeboolumakinwa3550
@@marcelloaguilar6463 1à
@quentinjackson9403
@@osazuwaogbeide1540 r
@andyaragon8633
another awesome masterpiece from fela's gory days! i love how the groove starts and then builds for a full 7 minutes before his vocal even starts. then, fela's incomparable voice and call and response backup vocals carry the song to full burn! no other african musician comes close to the power of fela's music and his influence remains strong now. really love this tune!