Europe welcomes Fela’s The Best Of The Black President 2

Afrobeat originator, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti passed away 15 years ago but to this day his legacy lives on across the globe with his still-relevant, forthright political views and powerful music. The complete works of Fela, consisting of almost 50 albums, are now being re-packaged, with in-depth track commentaries written by Afrobeat historian, Chris May, and prepared for a three-batch re-launch between March and September 2013. On March 4, The Best Of The Black President 2, a 2-CD collection with foreword written by Senegalese-American R&B/hip-hop artiste, Akon was released

into the European market.

The 12 tracks (none under 10 minutes) include 1975’s Everything Scatter, probably one of the ultimate Afrobeat tracks, as well as an extended version of the classic Sorrow Tears and Blood, inspired by the South African apartheid regime’s crushing of the Soweto uprising in 1976. Fela recounts stories such as police having unsuccessfully attempted to charge him for possession of weed (Expensive Shit) and speaks out about the practice of skin bleaching among Nigerian women (Yellow Fever).
Fela’s final period of recording is covered too with 1992’s Underground System (Part 2), inspired by the musician’s friend, Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara and his assassination. A special deluxe edition of The Best Of The Black President 2 also includes a DVD of Fela’s legendary 1984 Glastonbury concert.