Erykah Badu-curated vinyl box set of Fela Kuti recordings coming in December from Knitting Factory

Erykah Badu-curated vinyl box set of Fela Kuti recordings coming in December from Knitting Factory

Happy f-ing holidays, readers.

High priestess of neo-soul, activist, and holistic healer Erykah Badu has just been announced as the next in a series of artists to personally curate a vinyl box set of recordings by the legendary Nigerian musician, public figure, and political activist Fela Kuti. If you’ve yet to be introduced to Kuti’s discography before, fear not, as this collection comes with specific instructions for the listener, straight from the curator herself:

Fela Kuti is a Fucking Genius. Please listen to these tracks, preferably with a nice blunt…with a nice slow burn.

Easy-peasy, right?

The vinyl box set will consist of seven titles, including Erkyah’s “favorite Fela Piece of all times,” 1980’s Coffin For Head of State. Each set comes with an original poster and booklet, which contains seven personal essays by Badu, seven in-depth commentaries by music journalist and historian Chris May, and previously unseen photos of Fela Kuti. 3,000 copies of this limited edition release will be made available on December 15, courtesy of Knitting Factory Records. So…if you’re hair’s standing on-end right about now reading this paragraph, maybe get that pre-order in ASAP.

Badu follows Questlove, Ginger Brown, and Brian Eno in a series of artists asked to select their favorite works in commemoration of Fela Kuti’s birthday. A musical pioneer as well as political maverick, Kuti’s legacy has made him a widely influential figure far beyond the borders of Nigeria. He passed away in 1997 due to complications from AIDS.

Fela Kuti Box Set #4 curated by Erykah Badu tracklisting:

Album One: Yellow Fever
Side A. Yellow Fever
Side B. Na Poi ‘75

Album Two: No Agreement
Side A. No Agreement
Side B. Dog Eat Dog (Instrumental)

Album Three: J.J.D.
Side A. Part 1
Side B. Part 2

Album Four: V.I.P.
Side A. Part 1
Side B. Part 2

Album Five: Coffin For Head of State
Side A. Part 1
Side B. Part 2

Album Six: Army Arrangement
Side A. Part 1
Side B. Part 2

Album Seven: Underground System
Side A. Underground System
Side B. Pansa Pansa

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