1. Mohammed Ali: The World Heavyweight Champ visited Lagos in June 1964 and treated himself to the Island’s hospitality. He’s pictured here in his agbada receiving love from some Lagos Island youngsters that trooped out to receive the “toughest man in the world”.

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2. James Brown: The Godfather of Soul visited Lagos with his band in 1970 and were blown away when they witnessed Fela’s performance at the Afrika Shrine. Bootsy Collins, one of James Brown members had this to say -

"We were telling them they're the funkiest cats we ever heard in our life. I mean, this is the James Brown band, but we were totally wiped out! That was one trip I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.'"

JB is pictured here with men of the Nigerian Airforce.

Read the rest at www.kizarofaro..com

I never knew Ali and James Brown had visited NIgeria...I wish Micheal Jackson has visited before he passed on.

^^
Yea, it would have been great to have MJ grace our land. It would also be nice to have Oprah here. She's another great icon of this century that hasn't been here.

I scoured some information from someone who was around when Ali came. He spent three days and had to change hotels a day before he was to leave because babes besieged Ikoyi Hotel hoping to "tango" with the champ. The old cassius clay wouldn't have minded but he had just converted and joined the Nation of Islam in the USA. I guess he didn't want to embarrass his new mentor Elijah Muhammad.

I noticed that out of the three, two were mesmerised by Fela Anikulapo Kuti the black president of kalakuta.

In his honour I want to add a fourth icon that fela handled.

Shabba Ranks came to Nigeria in the early nineties at the peak of his fame. He was to perform at a concert but went to visit fela at the shrine early in the day. I heard after a couple of joints shabba passed out and couldn't do his show. Na God save Rick Ross and Lil Wayne dem say Fela don die.

Sir Paul McCartney: He arrived in Nigeria in August 1972 to record an album with his band – Wings. He overlooked offers to record in “beaten paths” like Brazil and America and chose to record in Lagos because he felt that he would have a nice relaxing time lazing at the beach all day and recording music at night. He rented a comfortable crib in Ikeja, then about an hour’s drive from EMI Studios at Apapa, where he was to record the album. He got a rough Lagos welcome and was “obtained” at knife-point while taking a walk in some lonely neighbourhood as well as harassed by Fela when he tried to recruit some members of abami eda’s band members. After a while he toughened up and the album eventually became one of McCartney’s most successful projects. It was humorously titled “Band on the Run”.