re: fela, this actually true. not the sound but the contents of the songs being more political.
current afrobeats is more like fela’s earlier stuff. it’s just about enjoyment and the day to day stuff. his political era wasn’t how he started. meeting with a black american woman (I believe) made he write about current events of the time.
he initially thought americans complained to much then yeah he saw “rah okay I can spill tea to a sick sax riff like thaaaaat? lemme do wan small small flex”.
but if we’re talking london-based afro-beats, that new wave and the current re-emergence of FUBU lyrics and vibes in africa touching the west? nah black america didn’t do that. second and third gen U.K. black diaspora and those still back home have been carving that space alone.
I think this is the first black generation (speaking for the U.K.) where there is less concern with looking towards america for culture shaping (because that’s the country’s biggest export and how we learn about you) for the first time (no offence) we don’t care too much.
britain has lived to squeeze black brits and tell them they have and contribute nothing - so we looked to America as kids because we were denied our own reflections, actually still are. remember we’re only 3% of country not even 1/4 of texas.
as for going to America to blow, lest we forget america learned its racism from its mother. we still live at home with mum - so we move. the country is younger so inherently more innovative. we still have a monarchy and you expect our country to really have our time?
maybe one day england will get there with it’s black and mixed population but also we can’t kill ourselves waiting so we move. also britain only respects its black brits once americans like us. we know this, coz as said your export is culture so you decide it a lot of the time
tldr; like the uk is a hard place to be black. trust me. but for the first time in a while black brits have said “fuck it” + we’re trying to shatter a ceiling that isn’t even glass, it’s titanium but also if you don’t know this - you’ll never respect our culture nor our pain. fin
sidenote: listen to or read “natives” by @akalamusic (regardless of your anglophone origin) and you’ll see that black brits and americans are fighting the same thing. like at this point we should be cussing the system in place and not each other but you know how it go.
