"Fela Kuti is a Fucking Genius," says Erykah Badu. For the latest installment of Fela Kuti compilations, Lo Down Loretta Brown (Badu's DJ name) compiles her favorites from the Afrobeat pioneer. The 7LP boxset includes 7 albums from the prolific & iconic Nigerian artist's catalog: Yellow Fever,, No Agreement, Johnny Just Drop (J.J.D.), V.I.P., Coffin For Head Of State, Army Arrangement, & Underground System. In addition to a 16" x 24" poster designed by Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu (he designed 26 of Kuti's album covers), the release contains a 20-page full-color booklet, which includes 7 personal essays written by Erykah Badu, plus 7 in-depth commentaries penned by Chris May, a veteran music journalist and Afrobeat historian. There are also song lyrics and never-before-published photos of Fela Kuti, and the artwork for each full-length has been meticulously recreated from og artwork (same with vinyl label artwork).

• 7xLP boxset
• compiled by Erykah Badu
• limited to 3000 copies worldwide
• includes 20-page full-color booklet
• music label: Knitting Factory 2017

reviewed by rei kwondo 12/2017