It’s 1989, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the King of Afrobeat, is fresh out of a Nigerian prison, his spirit unbroken but his body battered. Instead of retreating, he channels his rage and resilience into Beasts of No Nation—a defiant roar from a man who refused to be silenced!
With his Egypt 80 band, Fela crafts a sound that’s both a call to the dancefloor and a rallying cry for revolution. This cements his legacy as Africa’s most uncompromising musical activist. Thirty-six years later, Beasts of No Nation remains a towering work of logical and musical genius with grooves and truths resonating as fiercely as ever.
Fela Kuti is a one-man resistance movement. Now in the late ‘80s, He’s faced arrests, beatings, and the torching of his Kalakuta Republic commune by Nigeria’s military regime. His crime? Speaking truth to power through Afrobeat, a genre he pioneered by blending jazz, funk, highlife and Yoruba rhythms. Beasts of No Nation is born from this crucible, recorded after his release from a two-year stint on trumped-up charges.
The album’s title riffs on a chilling 1988 speech by South African president P.W. Botha, who called Black South Africans a “beast” to be tamed. Fela flips the script, exposing the real beasts: corrupt leaders, military dictators, and their global enablers.
Inside the Tracks
The album is lean by Fela’s standards, reaching fever pitch with its titular 27-minute epic. Some versions include a second gem, “O.D.O.O.” Here’s what makes them unforgettable:
- Beasts of No Nation (27:43): This near-30-minute epic is Fela at his fiercest. The punchy and jazzy horns weave through his biting vocals in Nigerian Pidgin. “Dem call us ‘beast of no nation’ / But we no be beast, na dem be beast,” he sings, tearing into Nigeria’s military, apartheid’s architects, and Western leaders like Reagan and Thatcher. He even dubs the United Nations the “United Nations of Thieves.” It’s a masterclass in sustained energy, blending danceable grooves with a revolutionary manifesto.
- O.D.O.O. (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake) (22:05): On some releases, this track adds a reflective counterpoint. It’s hypnotic guitar riffs and jazzy organ solos create a slightly mellower vibe, but Fela’s message is no less sharp. The title captures Nigeria’s chaotic cycle—corruption and hardship “overtaking” progress. With call-and-response chants and a pulsating rhythm, it feels like a street rally, urging listeners to confront systemic failure head-on.
Beasts of No Nation is a political juggernaut. Musically, it refines Afrobeats’ signature: polyrhythmic drums, brassy horn bursts, and Fela’s charismatic organ work. All delivered with Egypt 80’s polished ferocity. Lyrically, it’s a global indictment, tackling Nigeria’s military rule, South Africa’s apartheid, and Western complicity, all in accessible Pidgin English. This universality is what makes it a rallying cry for the anti-apartheid movement and a beacon for oppressed communities worldwide.
The album’s timing, dropped during Nigeria’s oppressive Babangida regime, made it a bold act of defiance. Weakened but unbowed, Fela turned personal suffering into universal art. For fans, it’s a reminder that music can be more than sound. It can be a weapon, a refuge, and a revolution.
Listen to this record, feel the rhythm, and join Fela’s fight. It’s as vital now as it was in ’89!
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