MUSIC
Fela Kuti Week Continues With This Exciting Playlist
The legendary Nigerian musician and composer would have turned 87 this week. To continue an activity-filled week in his honor, OkayAfrica has put together a three-hour-plus playlist of his best songs.
Fela Kuti performing on stage, in Brussels, Belgium, 5th October 1988.
by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images
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.
This week, OkayAfrica is celebrating the life and music of the Afrobeat pioneer and one of the greatest musicians of all time, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
A legacy that stretches beyond music and into visual art and politics, Fela’s artistry continues to illuminate and inspire people (especially Black people) across the world. And during the week of his birthday on October 15, millions all over the world will reconvene before the grandness of his sound to pay homage.
OkayAfrica has not been left out in this essential task of cultural preservation.
Over the years, we’ve been champions of Fela Kuti, sharing several perspectives to contextualize the Nigerian icon’s greatness (some of these articles will be republished over the week). We’ve also made his vinyls available and created merchandise around his famous anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist views, honoring Fela in the ways he’d have most loved — as a participatory experience, rather than an elitist showcase.
Everything, however, leads back to the music, and on this particular anniversary of Fela week, we’ve created a playlist of his essential songs. From “I.T.T (International Thief Thief)” to “Zombie” and “Lady,” the Best of Fela Kuti playlist reaffirms the sonic excellence that’s endeared the genius to different generations since his death in 1997.
Through these songs, he’s never been more alive.
Shop OkayAfrica's Fela Kuti Collection here.
