Femi Kuti and Chris Martin Co-Curate ‘Fela Boxset 5’

Femi Kuti, the renowned multi-instrumentalist son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin have teamed up to co-curate Fela Boxset 5. The set is expected to ship in December and it’s available for preorder.

The latest volume in the series comprises seven albums: Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Noise for Vendor Mouth, Kalakuta Show, Excuse O, Ikoyi Blindness, Original Sufferhead, and Overtake Don Overtake Overtake.

Each record has been recreated from the original vinyl pressings, including the vinyl label and cover artwork. It also comes packaged with a 20-page booklet with introductions from Martin and Femi Kuti, and in-depth commentaries for each album penned by journalist and Afrobeat historian Chris May. The full-color booklet includes stills from the 1982 documentary, Music Is the Weapon. It also includes a poster designed by Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu, who created 29 of Fela Kuti’s LP covers.

Fela Boxset 5 will have a limited run of 4,000 copies.

In September, Femi Kuti and Coldplay both performed during Global Citizen Live, with Kuti leading the Lagos concert lineup and Coldplay heading up the show in New York City.