I think "If water kill your child / Water you go use" is fairly profound, and a good demonstration of the idea that the pidgin expression refers to. And it rocks, of course.
He carried scars on his back from police and soldier beatings meant to silence him for speaking against the government. His houses and estate were set ablaze. His land was seized by the government and never returned.
His mother was thrown off a building by soldiers.
Yet, the very people he fought for chose to focus on his vices and mocked him for them.
If you are not familiar with Fela Kuti, he's like the James Brown of Afro-Pop. His music is super funky and amazing, and his family history is fascinating. Highly reccomended.
I dont know if youre referring to his music as "his work" - quite the opposite, we have a lot!
His family recently began releasing many albums on Bandcamp. Ive been a fan for awhile and this is likely the best collection youll find online : https://felakuti.bandcamp.com/
The Best of the Black President is a good place to start. Dive in! Fela is the godfather of Afrobeat and highlife.
> It’s sad that we don’t have recordings of his work
I am literally, while typing this reply, listening to a recording of Fela Kuti right now that I ripped myself from a CD I bought maybe 15 years ago at a physical record store.
("International Thief Thief" off of "Original Suffer Head")
There are recordings, and video of some his live performances.
Lemi Ghariokwu, a renowned Nigerian artist and the designer behind 26 of Fela’s iconic album covers, says the fact that this is the first time an African musician gets this honour “just shows that whatever we as Africans need to do, we need to do it five times more.”
The album was 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 (a commune that Kuti had established in Nigeria), during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune.
On a podcast recently and they talked a lot about his influence, but didn't play any music. And, when I went to look for it on YT, I didn't find the items you referenced. Thanks!
The film that is most mined for recordings is 'Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon'.
There's an English cut and a French cut.
The French cut doesn't hide the cannabis use and you'll see people rolling spliffs and Fela taking his 'Fela Gold' 'medicine' which was something like a cannabis rosin.
Afrobeat (of which Fela Kuti pioneered) and Afro-rock are genuinely some of the coolest fusion genres to ever exist.
If you need an introduction, the Nigeria 70 compilation is a great place to start:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upN0WEbFmUY&list=OLAK5uy_nQZ...
I've enjoyed some of the Tuareg stuff (like Tinariwen). You can see where some of the American blues came from.
King Sunny Ade is another great Nigerian artist! Ja Funmi is one of my favorites: https://youtu.be/LIO9MjfOo48?si=bZFOTgQF0SZZgT_X
Africa has a ton of fantastic musicians.
For instance, Dur Dur Band from Somalia: https://youtu.be/cVfrEmO5no4?si=aeqeufJpsKiIyvQX
Mulatu Astatke from Ethiopia: https://youtu.be/jXdVpT_aSJU?si=jMzwDIS75L9pqhxf
John Wizards from South Africa: https://youtu.be/1FNWfhmTn1M?si=lmHOUgvqxYS_P_Av
It’s a very deep well.
If I may suggest two artists besides the great Fela Kuti: William Onyeabor (try "Tomorrow") and Dizzy K Falola (try "Sweet Music").
I can't tell whether the words to Fela Kuti's "Water No Get Enemy" are profound or trite.
But I can declare with 100% confidence that this song *rocks*! Go check it out.
I think "If water kill your child / Water you go use" is fairly profound, and a good demonstration of the idea that the pidgin expression refers to. And it rocks, of course.
I recommend this excellent podcast (episode) that is dedicated to going over his life and impact. Incredible person and story!
https://pca.st/episode/e2940e8b-c7da-43bd-abca-8750538acf7c
There was also a Strong Songs episode about Fela Kuti back in November 2025:
https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s07-bonus-the-...
It's very good, but in the end I was disappointed with how uncritical it was.
I bought the vinyl reissue of The Best of the Black President.
I think it was a mistake that Fela's cousin's criticisms were only briefly mentioned.
As well as leaving Seun Keuti unchecked after screaming "bitch, get me a pen!".
I also found it funny that they used Barack Obama's name in the marketing release but you only ever hear about ~30 seconds from him!
Fela bled for Nigeria—literally.
He carried scars on his back from police and soldier beatings meant to silence him for speaking against the government. His houses and estate were set ablaze. His land was seized by the government and never returned.
His mother was thrown off a building by soldiers.
Yet, the very people he fought for chose to focus on his vices and mocked him for them.
I’m glad he finally got this award.
Did anyone see Fela, the musical? It was so good. https://felakuti.com/us/legacy/fela-the-musical?
Long time coming. All these years later, still heavy in my daily rotation.
Can't say I'm surprised. Well deserved!
Next: Fela Tio
Beasts of no Nation is a personal favorite!
If you are not familiar with Fela Kuti, he's like the James Brown of Afro-Pop. His music is super funky and amazing, and his family history is fascinating. Highly reccomended.
hello,
i discovered fela anikulapo kutis music back in the 2nd half of the 1980ties - still a big fan!! :)
cheers,
a..z
It’s sad that we don’t have recordings of his work, and all we really have are people’s recollections of him.
I dont know if youre referring to his music as "his work" - quite the opposite, we have a lot!
His family recently began releasing many albums on Bandcamp. Ive been a fan for awhile and this is likely the best collection youll find online : https://felakuti.bandcamp.com/
The Best of the Black President is a good place to start. Dive in! Fela is the godfather of Afrobeat and highlife.
> It’s sad that we don’t have recordings of his work
I am literally, while typing this reply, listening to a recording of Fela Kuti right now that I ripped myself from a CD I bought maybe 15 years ago at a physical record store.
("International Thief Thief" off of "Original Suffer Head")
Good news, you can search him on Spotify or Youtube and get tons of recordings of him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti_discography
There are recordings, and video of some his live performances.
Fela Kuti & Africa 70 (Berlin 1978): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr8oRpA2SpEWhat withered a little on the vine was his philosophy of pan-africanism.
> all we really have are people’s recollections of him.
His children, former band members (he had big ensembles) are still performing his compositions and in his style.
eg: Seun Kuti performing a Fela Kuti number along with Newen Afrobeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFSRCG4DrmI
He's still relevant today, he dedicated an entire album to faceless armed thugs operating as state sponsered death squads.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_(album)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj5x6pbJMyUScrolled just to see if someone had mentioned the Newen Afrobeat + Seun Kuti session -- just an absolute masterclass.
I appreciate the reply.
On a podcast recently and they talked a lot about his influence, but didn't play any music. And, when I went to look for it on YT, I didn't find the items you referenced. Thanks!
The film that is most mined for recordings is 'Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon'.
There's an English cut and a French cut.
The French cut doesn't hide the cannabis use and you'll see people rolling spliffs and Fela taking his 'Fela Gold' 'medicine' which was something like a cannabis rosin.
> And, when I went to look for it on YT, I didn't find the items you referenced
What exactly were you looking for and how did you miss: https://www.youtube.com/@felakuti