Speaking of Afro-rock, I'll take this opportunity to plug the Zamrock sub-genre, and specifically the bands WITCH [1], Ngozi Family [2], Chrissy Zebby Tembo, [3] and Amanaz [4].
The first 3 tracks are very garage-y. The 4th is more mellow. All 4 are tracks I come back to often.
Addendum, just for fun; Ghanaian-Australian Genesis Owusu teaming up with The Chats to cover Talking Heads' classic Pyscho Killer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU
William Onyeabor got me into African fusion. He's definitely one of the most interesting characters on the scene and the synthesizers in his music were some of the best. RIP.
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 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 think the point of the song is inevitability (in the context of African liberation). The idea being that Africa is indispensable to the world and will eventually overcome.
I did! One of the best shows I have ever seen. And Ngaujah had to have been the hardest-working man on Broadway during that run. Just an incredible performance.
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.
A local here pointed him out to me about five years ago. I looked him up, and a month later or so found and watched a documentary on Kanopy called "Finding Fela", quite interesting.
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.
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...
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