i went to a party a week ago to celebrate Fela Kuti's birthday (he died in 1997). i've only seen a few videos of him on youtube, so this party actually opened me up more to him and his music. he's in this video speaking the truth, like he is in most. his songs are not only amazingly layered, sometimes with a full ensemble, but the lyrics are very subversive (speaking about colonialism, religion, black nationalism, politics, and social issues). i also really respect the visual art of his performances. his dancers and musicians were always stunning, while his dancers in particular were just ridiculous; amazing. i like that he chose to stay true to himself and his culture, his people, his gods, his language. here is one of my favorite songs of his i've managed to find on youtube.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My favourite Fela song has to be 'Yellow Fever' which pokes fun at people who bleach. I also like Authority Stealing.
ReplyDeletei just put Yellow Fever along with 5 or 6 other songs from limewire on my ipod. that's pretty awesome that he's talking about bleaching, but i can't really understand what he's saying in most unless i look up the lyrics. i think Nigerian Pidgin (?) will be next on my list of languages to learn...
ReplyDeleteThere was some celebration for him in D.C. this past weekend. I got the info via my twitter.
ReplyDelete