Fela Anikulapo-Kuti passed away 24 years ago.. Post Your Favourite Fela Lyrics And Quotes Here.
I'll go first.
From "Overtake Don Overtake Overtake" (ODOO)
My friend wan come buy fan Him dey sweat when him dey sleep for room Him dey for level of 03 The fan na seventy-five naira
My friend him dey for low salary Him dey try to save and save and save Every time he nearly buy the fan Government go add ten naira more Every time he nearly buy the fan Government go start one activity Till the fan reach two hundred naira My friend nearly die, he never die
My friend he no wan die Die-die no dey for him dictionary For where? Huh... Him dey try to save and save again Him save for one year and six months
Inside cupboard Under pillow Under, under cooking pot Inside socks Under carpet Him dey on his way to buy the fan When alarm come blow
Wiiiiiaaaaaaaa!
Government announce second tier Everything come tear to pieces Everything come expensive Even water become expensive
Second bass, jare... pop!
Fan don become seven hundred naira Me and my friend start to look ourselves He remain small make my friend dey cry Na laugh laugh he catch monkey Na now he come understand him life Enjoyment can never come him way Na now him life dey go reverse In Africa, him fatherland One more time..
Chorus
I get my money Plan my plan finish Start to go for market Start to go for shopping Before I reach market nko o? Government show don enter My plan don spoil o Government show don enter My plan don spoil o
Overtake don overtake overtake Heiya Overtake don overtake overtake
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - Overtake Don Overtake Overtake (1988).
There are 4 absolute super legends of African music that blazed the trail for Africans on the world stage. They are Fela Anikulapo-Kuti of Nigeria, Hugh Masekela of South Africa, Manu Dibango of Cameroon and Mariam Makeba of South Africa. This post is about two of them.
South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela had not seen his good friend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti for many years, so when he came to perform in Nigeria, he took the opportunity to visit his friend & the following conversation ensued.
Hugh: I heard you got married to 27 women, where are they? I want to see them.
Fela: (Hisses) I divorced them.
Hugh: You divorced them? Why?
Fela: My girlfriends were jealous
Here is Hugh Masekela's cover of Fela's song, Lady.
Brilliance, humour and logic from beautiful madness. That's one of the things I loved about him.
From "Movement Against Second Slavery" (MASS), this is Alhaji Alhaji (Stranger).
♪I
naptu2: Our government go sell us away. Selling the continent to make us slaves again
Dem come go Europe, white man wey dey for west, bring am come-o, Bringing the religion Christianity to go chop us away, Dem go Arabia, white man wey dey for east, Bring am come-o Bringing the religion Islam to dey chop us away.
Islam and Christianity bring wars to Africa, To this-e continent In the centre of the world, Dem go bring confusion To the centre of the world Wetin dis government dey do no be for talk Na for cry-o Time don reach for us to call alhajis so . . . I don travel many places This the first time I don hear about. I never hear "alhaji" as title Only in the country Nigeria You hear somebody be alhaji "Alhaji so-so-and-so . . ." We cannot talk about what these governments do-we can only cry
CHORUS: Ye, ye, ye!
Brothers, come and hear this one: "Alhaji" na Arabic language The meaning of "alhaji" na "stranger" .
(Fela) I Alhaji Umaru Dikko (Response) Stranger Umaru Dikko!
This na revelation. Revelation of our ancestors. Offender must point at himself. Brothers and sisters hear me. This is a revelation A revelation of our ancestors. The offender must point at himself. Brothers and sisters hear me:
Mothers and fathers hear me. Na stranger dey rule our country!
(Response) For inside police. For inside air force. For inside navy. For inside government
(Fela) Dem dey control am! Mothers and Fathers
♬
naptu2: This song is also known as "Alhaji Alhaji". I'm going to post two versions of the song. The beginning of the first video is 18+ (L).
It sounds like the audio in the second video was recorded at Shrine and you know what happens at shrine . As usual a brave (or stupid) fellow yabbed Fela and Fela focussed his attention on the guy and yabbed his life away. The yabbis is also 18+ (L).
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - Music Against Second Slavery (MASS).
Many leaders as you see dem Na different disguise dem dey oh Animal in human skin Animal e put u tie oh Animal e wear agbada Animal e put u suit u
These disguising leaders oh, na wah for dem Dem hold meeting everywhere, dem reach America
These disguising leaders oh, na wah for dem Dem hold meeting everywhere, dem reach America
Dem call the place United Nations Hear oh another animal talk Wetin united inside United Nations? Who & who unite for United Nations? No be there Thatcher & Argentina dey No be there Reagan & Libya dey Israel versus Lebanon Iran oh versus Iraq-i East West Block versus West Block East No be there dem dey oh United Nations Dis "united" United Nations One veto vote is equal to 92...or more, or more What kind sense be dat, na animal sense
Dem go hold meeting oh, Dem go start yap human beings Animal talk don start again Dash dem human rights
Dem go hold meeting oh, Dem go start yap human beings Animal talk don start again Dash dem human rights Give dem human rights
How animal go know say dem no born me as slave? How animal go know say slave trade don pass?
And, they wan dash us human rights Animal must talk to human beings Give dem human rights
I beg e oh, make you hear me well-u well I beg e oh, make you hear me very well Human rights na my property So therefore, you can't dash me my property Human rights na my property Dey wan dash us human rights
Some people say why I dey talk like dis No be talk like dis dem take to carry me go prison ee-oh" No be me dey talk, na Prime Minister Botha dey talk ee-oh No be me dey talk, na Prime Minister Botha dey talk ee-oh
Him say, this uprising will bring out the beast in us This uprising will bring out the beast in us
Him say, this uprising will bring out the beast in us This uprising will bring out the beast in us
Ke ji keke My argument
Botha na friend to Thatcher & Reagan Botha na friend to some other leaders too And together dem wan dash us human rights Animal wan dash us human rights Animal can't dash me human rights Animal can't dash us human rights
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - Beast Of No Nation live at the Zenith in Paris in 1984.
Me and you no dey for the same-u category Me and you no dey for the same-u category Me and you no dey for the same-u category Me and you no dey for the same-u category Na the same category-o (Category) Na the same category-o (Category) Na the same category-o (Category) Na the same category-o (Category) Na the same category-o (Category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o (Not the same category) Na the same category-o Na the same category-o Na the same category-o Na the same category-ooo
Picture 1 and 2) Fela created a political party called Movement of the People in order to fight against the suffering of Nigerians. FEDECO refused to register it but he held a protest march to TBS/launched the party in 1978 and these are pictures of the march/rally.
Picture 3) Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti leading a protest march after the death of their mother
. As usual a brave (or stupid) fellow yabbed Fela and Fela focussed his attention on the guy and yabbed his life away. The yabbis is also 18+ (L).