Fela Kuti - Box Set 4, curated by Erykah Badu

The Guardian 100

(Knitting Factory Records)

It wasn’t easy getting hold of Fela Kuti’s extraordinary music during much of his lifetime, but that changed dramatically after his death in 1997. The legendary Nigerian creator of Afrobeat had recorded over 50 albums, which have since been re-mastered and re-released, with classic tracks reappearing on a series of vinyl and CD compilations. The most recent box sets have been curated by musicians: Questlove, Ginger Baker, Brian Eno, and now the American singer-songwriter and actor Erykah Badu. I can’t imagine that there’s a Fela fan on the planet who doesn’t already own some of the material here, but this seven-LP set comes with the original artwork, and entertaining and informative essays by Badu and Afrobeat historian Chris May. It includes Coffin for Head of State, remarkable for Fela’s wide-ranging and furious lyrics, Yellow Fever, in which he wittily attacked the fashion for skin-bleaching, and the cool, gently driving instrumental Dog Eat Dog. Magnificent.