This is the second volume that the AIDS- and HIV-combatting Red Hot Organization has dedicated to the music of
Fela Kuti
, the late Nigerian creator of Afrobeat, fearless militant political and liberation activist, and cultural icon. The first,
Red Hot + Riot
, appeared in 2002 and juxtaposed
Fela
's music with hip-hop, neo-soul, and African folk styles. This 13-track set, compiled by
Anthony Demby
and
Paul Heck
, employs the root sounds of Afrobeat more explicitly. Part of the reason for this is undoubtedly the success of the musical Fela! Another is that on the African continent, AIDS and HIV remain massive problems that have taken their toll on families, populations, and national economies. (
died of complications due to AIDS.) The set kicks off with "Buy Africa" by Congolese rapper
Baloji
with
L'Orchestre de la Katube
and Yoruban singer and songwriter
Kuku
. The propulsive beats meet the punchy brass and confrontational lyrics head-on in a dazzling rhythm and rhyme collision. Drummer
Tony Allen
, a bandmate of
's and an Afrobeat pioneer in his own right, collaborates with
and rapper
M1
on the bubbling "Afrodisco Beat 2013," that weaves funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and dub together with lyrics in French and English. "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" is performed nearly straightforwardly by
Jim James
My Morning Jacket
, with
Brittany Howard
of
Alabama Shakes
Merrill Garbus
tUnE-yArDs
. The vibe is slow, snaky, and hypnotic, though at over 14 minutes, it's too much of a good thing.
?uestlove
back Beninoise vocalist
Angelique Kidjo
and poet
Akua Naru
in funking up "Lady." Driven by furious breaks and roiling basslines, they turn the original sexist lyric on its head. The labyrinthine, bass matrix dubstep treatment of "Zombie," by producer
Spoek Mathambo
Cerebral Cortex
Frown
, is the set's most adventurous selection. Nigerian singer
Nneka
- born
Antibalas
vocalist
Amayo
, all front the manic seven-piece unit
Superhuman Happiness
in a pumped up, four-on-the-floor reading of on "No Buredi (No Bread)," complete with distorted kalimbas, zigzagging, squiggly synths, and popping basslines.
Red Hot + Fela
's unique yet nearly seamless-sounding collaborations offer a deeper hearing of Afrobeat in light of its wide-ranging implications trans-culturally, both in the present era and as it points toward the future. ~ Thom Jurek