Well... I can't say I'm surprised by it, really. I've said many times in the past that the beef between you and I really is not about music at all but about politics and divergent styles of Blackness.

>Nigeria was colonized into the 1960's I believe wasn't it??
>Living under colonial rule into modern times ...and even the
>psuedo-"independence" that followed in some African countries
>was as detrimental to Black people as was slavery. And you
>see that in the treatment of Africans against Africans that
>followed colonial rule in those contries even up to today....
>
>When evil is your model of how to treat yourself...your
>brother...or how to govern yourself, you see Black people who
>do not respect themselves...their brothers and sisters ...nor
>how to rule and navigate their own environment...
>
>A man like James Brown ....a decendant of slaves who was able
>to accomplish what he accomplished and represent BLACK Manhood
>(you mentioned you didn't need anyone to tell you that you
>were a man....being a man is different than being a Black
>man..) was very powerful..and it reached out to Black people
>throughout the world...

LOL

Dude... Have you ever heard of Négritude?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negritude

That was a movement that asserted a powerful and sophisticated Black identity like 30 years before James ever did. And--speaking for myself and myself alone--I was knowing their works (as well as those of Marcus Garvey and the Harlem Renaissance) before I ever heard "Say It Loud"... probably before I even really knew James Brown.

If it took James Brown to wake you up, that's fine... My people have a saying that "Whatever time you wake up is morning for you." I would never try to diminish the incredible impact that a record like "Say It Loud" had, but let's not get out of hand and pretend that the world was void and without form until James Brown came and said "Let there be Light."

And we really need to be careful about how we prop up James as this radical Black Liberation figure... despite him making "Say It Loud" and some other ambiguous Black pride anthems like "Soul Power" and "Soul Pride," in truth, James Brown was a Black man more in the tradition of Booker T. Washington than of Huey Newton.

(Not that there is anything wrong with that, by the way)

>Lemme ask you a serious question. What is your view on Fela's
>politics? Fela's Black liberation message. What is your view
>on the socio-political elements of Fela Kuti??

Well... that depends.

Some of Fela's political philosophy I like: the stuff like love and respect your own culture, Africa for Africans, shrugging off colonial mentality, fighting for human dignity, etc.

Beyond that... I don't care much for Fela's politics. They're a bit too reactionary, muddled and sometimes ignorant for me. IMHO Fela was at his best when he was kinda like a stand-up comedian making cutting and insightful satirical comments about society. But the more he got into politics, the more alienating he became... It's kinda like what happened with Lenny Bruce or even (dare I say) Dennis Miller.

Apart from his music, I most admire Fela for his courage and conviction. That ability to say what you believe no matter how many people heckle you and hate you... no matter how it affects your career... or how many times they beat you, you stand up and defend what you believe.

In that way, Fela continues to inspire me... but politically? Not so much.