Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971)

by Fela Kuti

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Pressed on translucent yellow vinyl.

Also featuring Ginger Baker, the title track is among Fela’s first overtly political lyrics. His political perspective had evolved during the 1969 / 1970 tour of the US, largely through his friendship with the black-rights activist Sandra Izsadore, who introduced him to the writings of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis and other revolutionary thinkers. By the time Fela wrote “Why Black Man Dey Suffer,” his songwriting and public statements were becoming increasingly critical of the power structure in Nigeria and throughout post-colonial Africa. The album was actually recorded for EMI, but wary of the title, the label refused to release it.
First re-issued as part of Fela Kuti Box Set #5 curated by Chris Martin & Femi Kuti in 2021.

Includes unlimited streaming of Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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	1.	Why Black Man Dey Suffer 15:15
	2.	Ikoyi Mentality vs Mushin Mentality 12:57		buy track

about

Why Black Man Dey Suffer, recorded in 1971, was originally deemed too controversial for release by EMI, his label at the time. Having recently been schooled in the American black power movement and having taken on a new Pan-African worldview, this album served as one of Fela’s first musical soapboxes on which he challenged the colonial injustices and corruption of the ruling elites of his time. The title track “Why Black Man Dey Suffer” is a history lesson on the oppression of the African man. It details the litany of abuses the black man has suffered — from being taken as slaves, to having an alien people impose a new culture upon them, take their land, fight them, and set them against one another. The following track, “Ikoyi Mentality”, firmly expresses Fela’s identification with the downtrodden masses and his rejection of the ways of the ruling class inhabitants of the Ikoyi neighborhood in Lagos.

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released May 11, 2010

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Fela Kuti Lagos, Nigeria

Over a decade after his death, vindication has come to Fela Kuti, Africa’s musical genius. AfroBeat, his gift to the world, is now an international staple on his own uncompromising terms, social content intact.

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