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.
You No Go Die... Unless
Fela Kuti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unless you won die
But if you won die sha o, you go die
(One, two, three, four)
Eh, o ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
To ba fe ku o, wa tun ku
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma sa're
To ba saβ²re, ko ma sa're
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma saβ²re
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're, eh
To ba reβ²jo, ko ma sa're
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma saβ²re
To ba ri molue, ko ma sa're
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma sa're
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma saβ²re
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
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O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
To ba fe ko o, wa tun ku
To ba fe ku o, wa tun ku
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma sa're
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
To ba reβ²jo, ko ma sare
Bo ba r'ejo, ko ma sa're
Ma duro ba ja, ko ma saβ²re
Ma baβ²ku ta tete o, ko ma sa're
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma saβ²re
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma sa're
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
Omo elere lo ri yen o, ko ma saβ²re
Omo elere lo ri yen o, ko ma sa're
To ba ri molue, ko ma sa're
Ko ma saβ²re, ko ma saβ²re
Omo olona lo ri yen o, ko ma sa're
Molue o ni braki, ko ma saβ²re
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
To ba r'iku o, ko ma saβ²re
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma saβ²re
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma sa're
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
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Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te-te-eh
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma saβ²re
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma saβ²re
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
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Eh-ah-eh
The song, "You No Go Die Unless," is a song by Fela Kuti that is inspiring and motivating because it encourages listeners to persevere through difficult times. The song is in pidgin, a type of English that is spoken in Nigeria, and it says that nobody will die unless they want to. The song has a driving rhythm and a strong beat, which makes it a great song to dance to. It also has a call-and-response structure, which means that the lead singer calls out a phrase, and then the backup singers respond with the same phrase. The song is essentially about the fact that, even though life can be hard sometimes, you can get through it if you keep your head up and keep going.
The lyrics to "You No Go Die Unless" are straightforward and simple in their meaning, but the delivery is powerful. Fela Kuti's voice is urgent and raw as he delivers lines like "you no go die unless you want die." The song is repetitive, but not boring, and the constant chant of "ko ma sa're" (keep moving forward) is a constant reminder that no matter what happens, you have to keep moving.
Line by Line Meaning
You no go die
You will not die
Unless you won die
Unless you actually want to die
But if you won die sha o, you go die
But if you really want to die, you will die
(One, two, three, four)
Eh, o ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
Ahh, you don't want to die, unless you want to die
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
You don't want to die, unless you want to die
To ba fe ku o, wa tun ku
If you really want to die, you will still die
To ba fe ku o, wa tun ku
If you really want to die, you will still die
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma sa're
If you fall sick, don't worry
To ba saβ²re, ko ma sa're
If you recover, that's fine
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma saβ²re
It's alright, either way
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're, eh
It's alright, either way
To ba reβ²jo, ko ma sa're
If you are dancing, don't worry
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma saβ²re
If you ride in a bus, don't worry
To ba ri molue, ko ma sa're
If you ride in a truck, don't worry
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
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O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
You don't want to die, unless you want to die
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
You don't want to die, unless you want to die
To ba fe ko o, wa tun ku
If you really want to die, you will still die
To ba fe ku o, wa tun ku
If you really want to die, you will still die
To ba rβ²iku o, ko ma sa're
If you fall sick, don't worry
Ko ma saβ²re o, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
To ba reβ²jo, ko ma sare
If you are dancing, don't worry
Bo ba r'ejo, ko ma sa're
Even if you don't dance, don't worry
Ma duro ba ja, ko ma saβ²re
If you stand still, don't worry
Ma baβ²ku ta tete o, ko ma sa're
If you are afraid, don't worry
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma sa're
If you ride in a bus, don't worry
To ba ri danfo o, ko ma sa're
If you ride in a bus, don't worry
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
Omo elere lo ri yen o, ko ma sa're
A street child sees it all, don't worry
Omo elere lo ri yen o, ko ma sa're
A street child sees it all, don't worry
To ba ri molue, ko ma sa're
If you ride in a truck, don't worry
Ko ma sa're, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
Omo olona lo ri yen o, ko ma sa're
A rich man sees it all, don't worry
Molue o ni braki, ko ma sa're
Even if the truck breaks down, don't worry
O ni ku o, afi to ba fe ku
You don't want to die, unless you want to die
To ba r'iku o, ko ma sa're
If you fall sick, don't worry
Ko ma sa're o, ko ma sa're
It's alright, either way
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Te-ke-te-ke-te-te
Te-te-te-ke-te-te-te
Eh-ah-eh
Writer(s): Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti
Contributed by Jordyn J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@StooGP
One of the best Fela "Deep Cuts" and without question, since I believe this was recorded in 1971, one of the very best Igo Chico sax solos ever.
@MrSundex02
Definitely not 1976 as stated, this was Felaβs sound of 1969 to 1972. Youβre right!
@kofiduke28
a real epitome of what music πΆ πΆ is. thank u #Fela
@roxymorandi8326
Mr.President βπΎβπΎβπΎπ³π¬
@felakuti
Hello Roxy. We would love you to continue the Fela Express on this channel by subscribing here βΊ http://bit.ly/1XsVy99 Take care and everybody say "Yeah Yeah" (y).
P.S. Loving your Fela playlist btw ^^
@user-ci2oi5kh8i
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