7 times America’s biggest Artistes sampled Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti didn’t make good music. He made great music that was quantified by activism, culture, and life.

With many local entertainers tapping essence from his oeuvre, his influence is felt in Nigerian music daily. Continental sounds also carry a whiff of his flair. But that’s not where it ends. The American music industry, too, is drawing vitality from his songs.

This is how Fela’s songs served as tidal waves directing the artistic steps of these 7 foreign artistes:

‘Mr. Follow Follow’ sampled on Kelly Rowland, ‘Hitman’

From the 3 second mark, anyone familiar with Fela’s work will be able to decipher the origins. But surprise sets in after learning that it is a Kelly Rowland song released this year. Hook, line and sinker, she adopts the instrumentation on ‘Mr. Follow Follow’, and cleverly sprinkles pop elements.

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.

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‘Zombie’ sampled on Beyoncé, ‘Deja Vu’ (‘Homecoming Live’ version)

During her record-setting Coachella performance in 2018 as the first black woman to headline the annual event, Beyoncé didn’t shy from her roots. She made it clear where her ancestors hail – Africa.

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.

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‘Water No Get Enemy’ sampled on Common, Lonnie “Pop” Lynn, ‘Pops Rap III… All My Children’

‘Pops Rap III… All My Children is subtle in its delivery of Fela’s tunes to a point it can be overlooked.  However, on close listen, one can decrypt Fela’s soothing arrangement behind the dreamy, sunset soul vibes marinated in pure spoken poetry by Pop. The track banks on a simple riff off ‘Water No Get Enemy’ to make its mark.

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‘Gentleman’  sampled on J. Cole, ‘Let Nas Down’

Opening the track with Fela’s stunning sax renderings, the song slowly drifts into steady beats and seamless rapping. Although the themes of both tracks aren’t alike, the sample from Fela paints J. Cole’s freestyles in bold strokes.

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‘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.

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‘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.

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‘Mr Gramarticalogylisationalism Is the Boss’ sampled on The Roots, ‘I Will Not Apologize’

Probably the longest title on any of Fela’s discographies. Here, he fights the system that is eager to adopt western values and measure people’s level of importance or intelligence with eloquence in the English language. American hip hop band not only heavily samples this, but they also forge ahead to adopt his audacity to reflect their braggadocio.

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It is obvious Fela’s protégées couldn’t all be rolled into one list, and this alone validates his legendary status.