More than three decades after his death, Fela Kuti’s music continues to find new ways to speak to the present.
That legacy takes another turn this week with “No Nation (Ayakata),” a new collaboration from Dutch electronic producer Ginton, Nigerian rap star ODUMODUBLVCK and the late Afrobeat pioneer, officially approved by the Kuti estate and set for release on 14 August.
The track reworks elements of one of Fela’s original compositions, placing his enduring ideas around freedom, identity and self-expression alongside the contemporary voices of two artists operating at very different points of Africa’s musical spectrum.
At its centre is Fela’s belief that identity should not be restricted by borders, nationalities or prescribed ideologies. “No Nation” carries that idea forward, transforming it into an anthem for individuality and creative independence — a message that feels particularly resonant in an increasingly borderless African music landscape.
The collaboration arrives at a significant moment for Fela’s legacy. Earlier this year, the Nigerian icon became the first African artist to receive the Recording Academy’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his extraordinary contribution to music and global culture.
Fela pioneered Afrobeat by bringing together African rhythms with jazz, funk, highlife and other influences, creating a sound that would eventually travel far beyond Nigeria. His music was inseparable from his political consciousness, with his songs challenging authority, corruption and social injustice while advocating for freedom and self-determination.
On “No Nation (Ayakata),” that philosophy meets the energy of a new generation.
View this post on Instagram
For ODUMODUBLVCK, the collaboration represents another step in his rapid rise as one of Nigerian music’s most distinctive contemporary voices. His genre-bending approach to Afropop and rap has helped him build a global audience, while his catalogue has surpassed a billion streams across platforms.
Ginton, meanwhile, brings an electronic perspective shaped by his growing relationship with African music. The Dutch producer has previously worked with artists including Joeboy, Tekno and Stonebwoy, while his remix work has extended to Nina Simone and African legends Richard Bona and Salif Keita.
The result is a meeting of eras rather than a simple exercise in nostalgia. Fela’s original message remains at the heart of the record, while Ginton and ODUMODUBLVCK give it a contemporary frame, one capable of reaching listeners who may encounter Fela’s work through this collaboration before discovering the catalogue that came before it.
With more than 25 million TikTok views already generated around the track ahead of its release, the early response suggests there is an appetite for that connection.
Nearly 30 years after Fela’s passing, his ideas remain in motion. “No Nation (Ayakata)” is another reminder that his most powerful legacy may not simply be the sound he created, but the freedom he insisted music could represent.
