It’s here! Rapper Falz the Bahd Guy has dropped his much-anticipated fourth studio album, Moral Instruction and it is all we expected it to be. “Informed, audacious and sonically spectacular” are the words that best describe the album and these same words aptly fit the description of Fela Kuti.
The late Afrobeat maestro was known for his unflinching message of social awareness and political consciousness which indeed is also the theme of Falz’s Moral Instruction. Unsurprisingly, Falz tapped Fela Kuti per samples on the album.
Below are three songs by Fela Kuti that were sampled on Falz the Bahd Guy’s ‘Moral Instruction’ album.
Fela Kuti – J.J.D (Johnny Just Drop)
The opening track on Falz’s Moral Instruction album dubbed Johnny samples Fela Kuti’s 1977 track titled, J.J.D meaning Johnny Just Drop.
The Fela Kuti verson was aimed at Africans who travel to western nations and return with spurious values and mannerisms like accents. Fela tied this trend to an African inferiority complex, inspired by colonialism.
On Falz’s version, he addressed insecurity and police brutality, using the character Johnny as a victim of a failed system.
Fela Kuti – Zombie
The second track of Falz’s Moral Instruction dubbed Follow Follow samples Fela Kuti’s 1976 hit, Zombie.
Zombie was Fela’s utmost anti-government/military song. It was an attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military.
Falz used the same metaphor to address the craze of social media and how the identity and perception of people are controlled by who they see and follow on the internet.
Fela Kuti – Coffin for Head of State
The fifth track on Falz’s Moral Instruction dubbed Amen samples Fela Kuti’s 1980, Coffin for Head of State.
It was Fela’s follow-up to Zombie. It dropped after the military attacked Kalakuta Republic (a commune that Fela had established in Nigeria) and eventually killed his mother, Funmi Ransome Kuti.
With this song, Fela sang about the hypocrisy of many Christians and Muslims, especially those in government and other positions of power. This was the same thing Falz did with Amen. It addressed the questionable operations of religious institutions.
Extra: Fela Kuti – Army Arrangement
The eighth track on Falz’s Moral instruction dubbed E No Finish also taps inspiration from Fela Kuti as it interpolates lines from the late singer’s 1985 song titled Army Arrangement.
The phrase “E No Finish” was repeatedly used as a break on the said song. Falz uses E No Finish to bring the Moral Instruction album to a close, lashing out at the government for its negligence about the people’s welfare.
The post All The Fela Kuti Samples On The New Falz Album, Moral Instruction appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
by 208headlines
