In honor of Fela Kuti’s 87th posthumous birthday on October 15, OkayAfrica is rolling out a week of stories, from October 13 to 17, spotlighting the Afrobeat pioneer's life, activism, and legacy. Read them all here.
The music of Fela Kuti has been a sample trove for many musicians, but none more than rappers. Due to the impeccable jazzy arrangements found on Kuti’s records, hip-hop artists have often felt comfortable flipping it to contain their bars, as we’ve heard on several songs since its formation. When one considers the shared origins of Black music, we see how Fela echoes the pain and triumph behind the evolution of genres like Jazz and Soul — these genres are evocative of our modes of existence. Also, since his lyrical ethos combines political activism with social commentary, there’s a natural alliance with the ethos of hip-hop, evolving from these forms into artistic youth culture and expression.
From nineties elites like Nas to contemporary wordsmiths like J. Cole and Falz, rappers across the world have made Fela’s music theirs, turning its base structures inside out to emerge with sonic ground that has not only created beautiful records but has broadened the artistic and aesthetic hallmarks of rap music. Given the range of these songs, they’ve come to represent a distinct niche within hip-hop, highlighting the African origins of the form. On this occasion of Fela Week, OkayAfrica highlights ten hip-hop songs that brilliantly sample the maestro.
Pete Rock & Inl – “Grown Man Sport” [2003]
Many artists who sample Fela give him rhythmic control, but here hip-hop takes charge. So we instead pay attention to the dusty drums even while the keyboard echoes the familiar tune of “Water No Get Enemy.” The sonic excellence is paralleled by the verses, kicking knowledge on self and flexing rap’s conduit for social concern and conversation. It’s a bit like your wise uncles giving you game while Fela’s sound is like a father’s influence, subtle but ever-present.
J. Cole – “Let Nas Down” [2013]
In his early career, few songs placed J. Cole on the top shelf as this one did. For naysayers, it was an overzealous attempt at earning OG praise, but for most who knew how earnest the rapper can be, its lyrical crash-out was only fitting. Cole touched on everything from legacy to peculiar generational challenges of being a rap star, putting it to Nas that he was doing his best. Charged by a saxophone solo he sampled from Fela’s “Gentleman,” it was said well enough that he’s not, in fact, a pushover in the game.
Obie Trice feat. Drey Skonie – “Spend The Day” [2012]
“Sorrow Tears and Blood” is one of the most iconic Fela songs and for good reason. Its arrangement combines motion and melody in ways we’ve seldom heard before, making an imprint as potent as the artist’s singing. As samples tend to do, the sound is infused into this new creation, a fresh tool outside of context. As a ladies' man, Fela would probably have approved of the smoothness of this record, how the verses flow like iced liquor, and the hook stays emotionally resonant.
Missy Elliott feat. Timbaland – “Watcha Gonna Do” [2001]
When legends combine for an Afrocentric hip-hop record, there’s only one outcome: flipping “Colonial Mentality” into the balmy tone of this, Missy Elliot and Timbaland go style for style. Elliot’s gusty in-your-face flow combines beautifully with the cool uncle swag of Timbaland, although both are united in their unshakable confidence. The title itself poses a question, and that’s the direction throughout, no doubt bringing to mind Fela’s similar way of telling you he (and his art) was untouchable.
Mos Def – “Hip Hop” [1999]
Lovers of a certain kind of hip-hop cannot understate the impact of Mos Def. Connecting the hipster Black American audience with schools of thought that eagerly reach into Africa, his best songs share a rich vein of transcendent consciousness. “Hip Hop” carries the quintessential attributes of nineties soul rap, a flowstate reached by impeccable rhyming as much as the sound. In this case, one hears the ever recognizable tone of Fela; a subtle sample of “Fear Not For Man,” one of the Nigerian great’s deep cuts.
The Roots – “I Will Not Apologize” [2008]
“It’s the story of taking nothing and making it into something,” Questlove once said about how Fela’s Afrobeat parallels hip-hop. An avowed admirer of the man, The Roots’ co-founder has also brought his spirit into their seminal music, either through his drum techniques or direct sampling. In this record that could have easily been released in the 1990s, they extend the cool grooves of “Mr Grammarticalogylisationism Is The Boss,” pumping up their chest like Missy Elliot. A rap fest that’ll make very niche playlists, it’s a showcase of The Roots’ legendary ability to combine varied sensibilities within the Black experience.
Nas feat. Alicia Keys – “Warrior Song” [2002]
Nas has always been close to his African roots. The son of a trumpeter of Nigerian descent, Olu Dara Jones, his music combines social awareness with spiritual and historical searching, a premise that birthed an entire album with Damian Marley on Distant Relatives. In the early 2000s, Nas had become more popular beyond the US, and songs like these — deep cuts they are — showcase his awareness of what’s happening elsewhere. “Warrior Song” flexes a pristine closeness with life on the continent, from Alicia Keys’ evocative singing to the imagery of Nas. All’s made complete with the sample of “Na Poi,” infusing a flavored gravitas to its sonic make-up.
Jidenna – “85 To Africa” [2019]
In the history of American acts returning to their African roots, few have been as memorable and poignant as Jidenna. Perhaps it’s due to his being born in Enugu, southeast Nigeria, and having lived there for a while, but the artist flexed his roots with a very endearing ease. From his style to his music, an artsy vision of Nigeria emerged, embodied brilliantly on this title track of an outstanding project. Sunny, eloquent, expressive, it’s a fitting image of the showman Jidenna is — and who better a showman to channel than Fela Kuti?
Kendrick Lamar – “Mortal Man” [2015]
Much of To Pimp A Butterfly, the widely acclaimed magnum opus of Kendrick Lamar, was inspired by the rapper’s visit to South Africa. There, he found deeper considerations, such as intra-tribal conflict and forgiveness, to explore in rap. It came together on “Mortal Man,” the album’s winding closing record. Many would recall the esoteric musings Lamar and (an already recorded) 2Pac Shakur had on wax, but few know Fela was sampled on there. Actually, it was a sample of a Fela sample, as he employed saxophonist Houston Person’s 1977 cover of Kuti’s “I No Get Eye For Back”. Much given to sonic manipulation, Lamar also infuses a pitched-down sample of the drum pattern from Fela’s original song.
Falz – “Johnny” [2019]
It takes dedication and understated access to create an entire album from Fela’s sound and samples. When the Nigerian rapper Falz did that on Moral Instruction, he did so with artistic grace — proving a student of the game — he relayed the better-established African American protest tradition into the songs, colored with distinct Nigerian poetics. “Johnny” takes after Fela’s penchant for metaphor, using the trajectory of one man as a stand-in for the entire country. Because Johnny suffers, we do too, and Falz’s direct style makes the most of Fela’s colorful, chaotic soundscape.
Previously on Fela Week on OkayAfrica: read all about The Afrobeat Rebellion here.
