Paul McCartney Wept When He Saw This Musician Live
By: Adebayo Ijidakinro
Tags: Musicians, Music, History, Africa, Black History

In 1978 he married 27 women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers. He did this both to inaugurate the anniversary of the attack on his compound but also to protect himself and his wives from the allegations that he was kidnapping women.

That same year, he was banned from performing in Ghana due to a riot breaking out during his performance of the song “Zombie.” Moreover, that same year, after the Berlin Jazz festival, most of his musicians left him because of rumors that he would be using the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.

In 1979, he formed his own political party called MOP, or Movement of the People, and he enrolled as a candidate in the presidential election. His candidacy was refused. That same year he changed the name of his band to Egypt 80. In a television production, he mentioned his motivation behind changing the name:

“I have to make Africans aware of the fact that Egyptian civilization belongs to the African. So that was the reason why I changed the name of my band to Egypt 80.” — Fela Kuti

In 1984, he was imprisoned for 20 months on a charge of currency smuggling.

Two years later, he performed at the Amnesty International a Conspiracy of Hope concert. Other big names who also performed at this concert were Bono and Carlos Santana.

In 1989, Fela released another scathing piece entitled “Beasts of No Nation”. A song speaking out against the Apartheid in South Africa.

Image courtesy of genius.com — Cover for Fela’s album Beasts of No Nation, 1989

In 1990, his musical output slowed and eventually came to a complete stop. In 1993, he and four other members of his band were arrested on charges of murder. Unfortunately, no one knows if the allegations are true because many false charges were brought against him due to the contention between him and the governmental authorities.

“As many Nigerians see it, the case is being used by the authorities as a way of getting back at Fela, his brother, Beko, and other dissidents who have formed the core of an increasingly effective opposition movement.” — New York Times

Fela’s Legacy

I don’t agree with every decision that Fela made in his life and this article is not written to spread his political beliefs and viewpoints. This article’s purpose is to introduce you to a musician whose music was not just entertainment, but a weapon that he wielded with great skill. His music was a part of him. He was willing to die for what he believed in, and that intense feeling is laced through every note.

He was immensely bothered by the injustices that he saw, and he expressed this flawlessly through his music.

I appreciate anyone whose art is not just a mental exercise, but an outpouring of their heart. In a few of his songs, when singing about his mother, he would break down into tears. That’s the kind of raw emotion that he conveyed. That’s the type of feelings he showed in his music.

Since his death in 1997, others have tried to carry the torch. Although I appreciate what they’ve done, none of them feel as passionately about their message as Fela did. He didn’t create a musical style so that he could get more money. He didn’t write about the injustices in Africa because that’s what was popular at the time. No, his words were not gimmicks. His songs were not for show. He wrote how he felt. No matter the consequences.

Art like that is so rare. Art that is truly an expression of one’s inner being. Art composed by a person who refuses to back down though persecuted and imprisoned. Art that is not only beautiful, but also possesses an immense depth of feeling, and knowledge. That kind of art is almost unheard of today.

Fela’s songs are on average between 15 and 30 minutes long. Some being up to 45 minutes. However, he would not shorten his music. When asked why not his response was…

“You wouldn’t expect composers like Mozart or Beethoven to write three minute numbers, so why should I?”

Paul McCartney visited the Shrine to see Fela. (Many other notable musicians did so as well.) Here is his comment about listening to Fela play at the Shrine. He says…

“[I] ended up just weeping. One of the most amazing musical moments of his life, because the band was just unbelievable” — Paul McCartney See the entire interview at Entertainment Weekly

The song that made him weep was called “Why Black Man Dey Suffer.”

When James Brown’s bassist Bootsy Collins saw Fela and his band live, this was his response:

“They’re the funkiest cats we ever heard in our life. I mean, this is the James Brown band, but we were totally wiped out!” — Bootsy Collins, bassist for James Brown’s band (Vice)

Miles Davis referred to him as a “life-transforming” artist.

This is the kind of praise he was receiving from the greatest musicians of all time. There was something special about Fela.

The instrumentation of his music is beyond beautiful

Before I finish this article, I want to mention the instrumentation of his music. It’s the best instrumentation that I’ve ever heard. It is marvelously complex, but yet it doesn’t feel complex. It’s a beautiful harmony of an orchestration designed in such a way that although there are repeated elements, it never gets old. The use of the endless drum, an element taken from Nigerian Juju, allows for repeated drumming without sounding exhaustive.

The horn section’s dynamics and complex arrangements interlocking between multiple guitars playing repeated jazz riffs is simply a work of art. Multiple baselines that don’t conflict with one another and provide just enough substance to the treble to give the music a sense of completeness.

The improvisation skills of his band members rival any jazz musician who has ever walked the face of this Earth.

Image courtesy dawnelderworldentertainment.com — Fela and his band Egypt 80 performing in Santa Barbara, July 15th, 1989

The drums are unlike any I’ve ever heard before. Their drummer Tony Allen was in a league of his own. Not that the drums in themselves are profoundly intricate, but they provide a backbone that flawlessly supports all the other instruments. Rumor has it that Fela once said that “there would be no Afrobeat without Tony Allen.”

Then, there’s his choir. The use of call and response with his choir is angelic. It has the ability to move anyone to their core. Just pure beauty.

Furthermore, the message of this music is deep and profound. They’re not talking about artificial fluff. They’re talking about issues that affect everyone. Emotions that we as all humans feel. Experiences that anyone can relate to.

When all these elements come together, the result is pure brilliance. It’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before. To me, it’s the way music was meant to be. Each song is an experience with an introduction, the main part, and a conclusion. After listening to each song I feel like I’ve just finished reading a beautiful story.

As I mentioned before, when Paul McCartney saw this band live, he broke down weeping. One of the greatest musicians of all time wept bitterly at hearing this man’s music. Need I say more.

Final thoughts

I hope that this article has inspired you to check out the music by this brilliant musician. You won’t regret it. Many people haven’t heard of him because the nature of his music was just hard to market to a mass global audience. Most people aren’t willing to spend 15 minutes listening to a song. Also, he uses Pidgin English in his songs, so sometimes it can be difficult to understand what he’s saying. But even if you can’t understand his words, you’ll understand the music. The music speaks in words that everyone can understand.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is my favorite musician of all time and many share my sentiments. I hope that you take the time out of your day to listen to at least one of his songs. It may change your life.