Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on 15 October 1938 in Abeokuta, the modern-day capital of Ogun State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, then a city in the British Colony of Nigeria, into an upper-middle-class family.
His mother, Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement; his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, an Anglican minister and school principal, was the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers.
His brothers Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, were well known in Nigeria. Fela is a first cousin to the Nigerian writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the first black African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 1977, Fela and the Afrika ’70 released the album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune.
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother (whose house was located opposite the commune) was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela’s studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed had it not been for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten.
Fela’s response to the attack was to deliver his mother‘s coffin to the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, General Olusegun Obasanjo’s residence, and to write two songs, “Coffin for Head of State” and “Unknown Soldier”, referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.
Fela and his band took up residence in Crossroads Hotel, as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978, he married 27 women which are Kikelomo Oseyni, Folake Oladejo, Tejumade Adebiyi, Naa Lamiley, Sewaa Kuti, Omotola Osaeti, Omowunmi Oyedele, Alake Anikulapo Kuti, Shade Shodeinde, Adeola Williams, Najite Kuti, Emaruagheru Osawe, Kevwe Oghomienor, Ihase Anikulapo, Adejonwo Iyabode Ogunitro, Bose Anikulapo Kuti, Lara Anikulapo Kuti, Suru Eriomola, Tokunbo Akran, Funmi Kuti, Omowunmi Afesumo, Laide Anikulapo Kuti, Ronke Edason, Damiregba Anikulapo Kuti, Aduni Idowu, Omolara Shosanya Remilekun Taylor, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers.
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
The marriage served not only to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic but also to protect Fela and his wives from false claims from authorities that Fela was kidnapping the women. Later he adopted a rotation system of keeping 12 simultaneous wives. The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song “Zombie”, which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela’s musicians deserted him, due to rumours that Fela was planning to use the entire proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.
Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called Movement of the People (MOP), in order to “clean up society like a mop”. Apart from being a mass political party, MOP preached “Nkrumahism” and “Africanism” In 1979, he put himself forward for President in Nigeria’s first elections for more than a decade, but his candidature was refused.
At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt ’80 reflecting the idea that Egyptian civilization, knowledge, philosophy, mathematics, and religious systems are African and must be claimed as such. As Fela stated in an interview, “Stressing the point that I have to make Africans aware of the fact that Egyptian civilization belongs to the African. So that was the reason why I changed the name of my band to Egypt 80.
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
Fela continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT Corporation vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed entitled “I.T.T. (International Thief-Thief)”.
LYRICS OF ITT (INTERNATIONAL THIEF THIEF) FELA ANIKULAPO
International thief thief, I.T.T.
International thief, I.T.T.
International rogue
Well, well, ha
Well, well, ha
Motherfuckers
Bastard motherfuckers
We yab dem, yeah
Hurry up there, say, “Yeah”
Well, well
Well, well, na true I want talk again o
Na true I want talk again o
If I dey lie o
Make Osiris punish me
Make Ifa dey punish me o
Make Edumare punish me o
Make the land dey punish me o
Make Edumare punish me o
I read dem for book ee-o
I see so myself ee-o
Well-ee well-ee o
Well, well, well, well
Well, well, well, well
Long time ago
Long, long time ago
Long time ago
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
Long, long, long, long time ago
African man we no dey carry shit
We dey shit inside big big hole
For Yoruba-land na “Shalanga”
For Igbo-land na “Onunu-insi”
For Hausa-land na “Salga”
For Gaa-land na “Tiafi”
For Ashanti-land na “Yarni”
For Ethiopia-land na “Sagara-be”
For Kagyu-land na “Cho-Cho”
For Bemba-land na “Chimbuzi”
For Tunga-land na “Echibuzi”
Long, long, long, long time ago
African man we no dey carry shit
We dey shit inside big big hole
Long time ago
Long, long, long, long time ago
Long, long, long, long time ago
Before them come force us away as slaves
During the time them come force us away as slaves
Na European man, na him dey carry shit
Na for them culture to carry shit
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
During the time them come colonize us
Them come teach us to carry shit
Long, long, long, long time ago
African man we no dey carry shit
Na European man teach us to carry shit
Say am, say am
Many foreign companies dey Africa carry all our money go
Many foreign companies dey Africa carry all our money go
Them go write big English for newspaper, dabaru we Africans
Them go write big English for newspaper, dabaru we Africans
I read about one of them inside book like that
Them call him name na I.T.T.
I read about one of them inside book like that
Them call him name na I.T.T.
Them go dey cause confusion
(Confusion)
Cause corruption
(Corruption)
Cause oppression
(Oppression)
Cause inflation
(Inflation)
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
Oppression, oppression, inflation
Corruption, oppression, inflation
Them get one style wey them dey use
Them go pick one African man
A man with low mentality
Them go give am million naira breads
To become of high position here
Him go bribe some thousand naira bread
To become one useless chief
Like rat they do them go do from
Corner corner, pass-ee pass-ee
Under under, pass-ee pass-ee
Inside inside, pass-ee pass-ee
In in, pass-ee pass-ee
Out out, pass-ee pass-ee
Peep peep, pass-ee pass-ee
Up up, pass-ee pass-ee
Then he gradually, gradually, gradually, gradually
Then he gradually, gradually, gradually, gradually
Them go be, friend friend to journalist
Friend friend to Commissioner
Friend friend to Permanent Secretary
Friend friend to Minister
Friend friend to Head of State
Then start start to steal money
Start start them corruption
Start start them inflation
Start start them oppression
Start start them confusion
Start start them oppression
Start start to steal money
Start start to steal money
Like Obasanjo and Abiola
Click to download ITT (International Thief Thief) by Fela Anikulapo
International thief thief
I.T.T.
International rogue
International thief
We go fight them, well, well
Well, well
Well, well
We don tire to carry anymore of them shit
We don tire to carry anymore of them shit
We don tire to carry anymore of them shit
Well, well
International thief thief
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