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The AfroBeatles: A mash-up of Fela and The Beatles

As the next edition of Felabration is about to commence, a mashup of music by the Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti, with foremost British Rock and … Continue reading The AfroBeatles: A mash-up of Fela and The Beatles


As the next edition of Felabration is about to commence, a mashup of music by the Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti, with foremost British Rock and Roll band, The Beatles, has emerged.

The mash-up produced by DJ Rich Medina and his producer Mark Hines, is called AfroBeatles.

According to the producers, “the end of the Beatles some said marked the true end of the British Empire. And one of the former British colonies, Nigeria, is where Afrobeat King Fela Kuti was from. And he was all about rejecting the influence of colonial power. This brings their music together.

Mark Hines claimed that the pairing of The Beatles’ “Get Back” and Fela Kuti’s song “Colonial Mentality,” makes sense both musically and lyrically.

“It’s speaking to the colonial power of London, but at the same time it’s investigating that relationship between power and the oppressed. So, looking at ‘colonial mentality,’ which is about Africans getting back to a true sense-of-self instead of a distorted one that may have been overlaid on them through the colonization projects. It offers an opportunity for a revolutionary mind set,” Hines said.

Check out the mash-up of “Get Back” and “Colonial Mentality”

Another mashup is The Beatles “Taxman” with Fela Kuti’s “Upside Down.”
The mashup video also features the Afrobeat legend watching a cartoon The Beatles made in 1960’s.

Kuti seems to enjoy watching the 1960′s Beatles cartoon!