Description
‘ITT’ (Original year of release 1980) – The LP was recorded following Afrika 70’s disintegration and the formation of Egypt 80. At the time of its release, the name of this album would have been recognized by any Nigerian as the acronym for “International Telephone and Telegraph”, Nigeria’s biggest telecommunications conglomerate. In this track, however, Fela satirically used the acronym to mean “International Thief-Thief.”
The song is a 24-minute direct attack on multinational’s CEO, Moshood Abiola, who also happened to own Decca, the label Fela was signed to at the time, and with whom Fela was in full battle mode based on the label’s refusal to release his albums. Fela takes this opportunity to publicly disgrace Abiola for, in Fela’s eyes, becoming a stooge for the white man through his general colonial mentality, and specifically for his collusion in the CIA-led effort to dislocate Chile’s democratically elected Marxist president Allende. The lyrics also include a pointed history lesson outlining the way, in the days of slavery, the white man would find a willing African who would sell his own people into slavery.
In response to popular demand Knitting Factory Records reissue seven of Nigerian icon and Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti’s most important albums. This will be the first time they are released individually since their original vinyl release in Nigeria in the 70s and 80s. The LPs feature the original releases’ iconic artwork and include digital download card and liner notes. The seven LPs were included in the third Fela Kuti box set, curated by Brian Eno and released in 2014. This is the first time these titles have been released individually on vinyl.
