Rikki Stein on why Fela is so popular during lockdown

The upcoming box set will be Femi's second collaboration with Martin after the release of 'Arabesque', which appeared on Coldplay's 2019 album Everyday Life. The previous releases were curated by Questlove (2011), Ginger Baker (2012), Brian Eno (2014) and Erykah Badu (2017). For the ultimate Afrobeat collector, this one is a must.

Fela's last manager, Rikki Stein, believes that having other musicians curate Fela's sprawling catalogue has maintained the Afrobeat musician's legacy and widened his influence. During the lockdown, data from major streaming services and companies pointed to an increased preference for music that is comforting, familiar or nostalgic. A survey on music streaming in the US conducted by Nielsen Music/MRC Data said that people were "seeking comfort in familiar, nostalgic content". Stein says that Fela's listener base also widened across streaming platforms, especially on YouTube.

"The simple answer is that people are home and they are listening to their favourite music," he tells Music In Africa. "Fela's message is being listened to, and it does unfortunately connect to what is going on in the world, no question about it. But I don’t think the hike in stats is unique to Fela. Generally, people are unable to freely wander into music stores and browse for records as they would have done previously."

Stein says Fela's music is a catalyst for consciousness. This is why he is as relevant today as when he was alive. Music, Stein says, cannot only be for entertainment – it must challenge and expose the hideous truths hidden behind closed doors. "Fela created this extraordinary music. He used to say, ' I am not playing for you o. I am playing for myself.' Nowadays, people listen to what he sang 20 years ago, and they say, 'It's still relevant." And I say, yeah!

"There is only one Fela. You know, sometimes I hear artists being described as Fela and I'm like, 'Come on, get out!'" he says laughingly. "I do like some of them, like Burna Boy and Falz. Falz particularly is socially conscious and uses his music as a means of getting ideas across. So I have to respect him for that. However, if I were to sit down with Falz and ask him, 'Do you think you are Fela number two?' He would just look at me.

"I also have a lot of time for Mr Wine [Bobi Wine]. I respect him as an activist and musician. I met him two years ago, and all I can say is we immediately became friends mainly because I was familiar with the story of a musician facing up to the military junta."

But Stein believes the idea that every musician should be an activist speaking truth to power is naive, and says musicians should be free to choose what themes to zero in on while doing so from a place of passion. "I run a digital music service called Okaymusic, and when artists send me music I do offer them some advice and say, 'Perhaps you should spend less time worrying about what you think people want to hear and more time showing us what you have in your belly.'"

Following the death of Tony Allen in late April, the obituaries, including Music In Africa's, paid homage to the drummer by labelling him as the co-creator of Afrobeat. But Stein says this senitment is historically incacurate.

"During that period when Tony Allen was part of the band, Fela could compose his music and during rehearsals give parts to everybody, including the drummer. But the master plan was Fela. But look, I wasn't there. I came in after Allen had left, and he and I later became good friends. But I know enough people of integrity who were there and were able to describe to me how it was at the time. I know for sure that that was the reality. The fact is, Allen was head and shoulders above all the drummers I have heard in my life and a fantastic musician, so he would take the same beats that Fela gave to whole band and interpret Fela's instructions."

Each year in October, Stein travels to Nigeria from his home in the UK to attend Felabration. With the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent shuttering of music venues, it remains to be seen if the 2020 edition of the celebration of Fela's life will take place.

"Look, people are going to find ways to play music. So if this pandemic is to continue for a while, I would say that online activity is going to continue, and also, what I see increasing are collaborations between different artists, which I always thought was a wonderful thing to happen," Stein says.