These are the American musicians that have sampled Fela Kuti’s song
Fela Kuti’s music was not just good but he created excellent music that was measured in terms of activism, culture, and life, here are the American musicians that have sampled his song.
His influence can be seen in Nigerian music on a daily basis, with numerous local entertainers drawing inspiration from his work.
His flare can also be heard in the sounds he makes. But it doesn’t end there. His tracks are also bringing life to the American music industry.
Fela’s songs acted as tidal waves, guiding the artistic paths of these seven foreign artists:
‘Zombie’ sampled on Beyoncé, ‘Deja Vu’ (‘Homecoming Live’ version)
Beyoncé didn’t hide her roots during her record-breaking Coachella performance in 2018 as the first black woman to headline the annual festival.
Her ancestors are from Africa, she stated emphatically, between sets, Fela’s flamboyant horn on ‘Zombie’ served as an opener to Beyoncé’s ‘Déjà Vu’ which’s characterized by heavy funk and soul.
Beyonce isn’t new to the concept of Fela’s afrobeat. She once recorded an entire album that was inspired by him. However, it was scrapped.
‘Mr. Follow Follow’ sampled on Kelly Rowland, ‘Hitman’
Anyone familiar with Fela’s work will be able to figure out the origins around the 3-second mark.
However, when it’s revealed that it’s a Kelly Rowland song from this year, the shock sets in.
She embraces the music on ‘Mr. Follow Follow’ hook, line, and sinker, and deftly sprinkles pop components.
Thrilling with head-bopping beats, it however fails to match the soul delivered through Fela’s sax. The visuals go further to depict life in Kalakuta through the commune, fashion, and dance.
‘Water No Get Enemy’ sampled on Common, Lonnie “Pop” Lynn, ‘Pops Rap III… All My Children
‘Pops Rap II All My Children’ is so subtle in its rendition of Fela’s songs that it’s easy to miss.
Closer listening reveals Fela’s relaxing orchestration beneath Pop’s dreamy, sunset soul vibes marinated in pure spoken poetry.
To make its imprint, the track relies on a simple riff from ‘Water No Get Enemy.’
‘Gentleman’ sampled on J. Cole, ‘Let Nas Down’
The song progressively drifts into steady beats and smooth rapping after opening with Fela’s magnificent sax interpretations.
The sample from Fela paints J. Cole’s freestyle in vivid strokes, despite the tracks’ different topics.
‘Colonial Mentality’ sampled on Missy Elliot,‘Whatcha Gonna Do
This 2001 track sees Timberland goofing about on the chorus. Typical of his production, ‘Whatcha Gonna Do’ deviates from Fela’s concept of sultriness in sound to reveal a raunchiness often obtainable at nightspots.
The concept is further emboldened by Missy’s eccentric rap styles.
Fear Not for Man’ sampled on Mos Def, ‘Fear Not of Man’
Hi-hats on steady base drums, Mos Def adopts essence verbatim style. He manages to clip the opening sounds to Fela’s 28-minute long-playing record, and he makes the best of it
‘Mr Gramarticalogylisationalism Is the Boss’ sampled on The Roots, ‘I Will Not Apologize’
Fela’s discography probably has the longest title. He fights the system, which is keen to accept western ideas and use the English language to judge people’s importance or IQ.
This is frequently sampled by an American hip hop band, who then go on to adapt his daring to reflect their bravado.
It is obvious Fela’s protégées couldn’t all be rolled into one list, and this alone validates his legendary status.