All Categories
Product Description MIXED BY CHIEF XCEL of Blackalicious. Includes 11 album tracks from FELA KUTI's AFRICA 70, EGYPT 80, and KOOLA LOBITOS lineups, near and dear to the heart of executive producer CHIEF XCEL of BLACKALICIOUS. A new take on the catalog of the founder of afro-beat and one of funk/jazz's most important innovators. Amazon.com Many of Fela Kuti's albums have been reissued since his death from AIDS in 1997, but the Underground Spiritual Game is different kind of effort. The 12 tracks on this compilation are reassembled by Blackalicious's Chief Xcel, who seamlessly fuses them all together into one unstoppable Afro-funk groove. Xcel adds a few bits of spoken word and samples to help the in-between song flow, but he thankfully leaves the meat of the songs alone. Featuring material from throughout Kuti's career -- from his Koola Lobitos 1960s stuff to Africa 70 to Egypt 80-- Underground highlights include "Unnecessary Begging," "Africa Centre Of The World" and "Monkey Banana." The cumulative effect of having Kuti seamlessly blended only heightens the music's hypnotic impact, while also offering a broader array of material than his typically long songs would otherwise get. Reportedly the first of many Chief Xcel remixes of Fela, Underground Spritual Game finds the hip-hopper off to great start and revealing an uncommonly deep understanding of Afro-beat. - Tad Hendrickson