Femi Kuti ft. 2face Idibia & Sound Sultan – POLITICS NA BIG BUSINESS [Remix]

Afrobeat legend, Femi Kuti, releases the remix to his lead single, “Politics Na Big Business,” off the album, “No Place For My Dreams”; this remix features new school legends, 2face Idibia and Sound Sultan. In the midst of the election season, Femi Kuti in his accustomed fashion passes a strong message to Nigerians with the hopes of making them aware that the welfare of the country lies in their hands and that they should make informed decisions in choosing a leader who will put the people first, while eradicating corruption on the long term; 2face Idibia and Sound Sultan show solidarity and share the same message in what they have highlighted to be a landmark to both their careers. They rebuked the trend of voters choosing their preferred candidates on the terms of who gives them a brown envelop or bags of food, and encouraged more informed decision making in casting their votes; “Politics Na Big Business [Remix]” is uniquely composed and sees the best of both worlds as Femi Kuti delivers an Afrobeat masterclass with 2face Idibia and Sound Sultan surpassing expectations composing their verses – this is Femi Kuti’s 1st release since penning down an exclusive management deal with Chocolate City last November. | ENJOY!!!

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Politics Na Big Business: How Femi Anikulapo Kuti strikes his chords against corrupt politicians.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking that they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker

To look away from a woman sitting beside an open gutter, carrying one child on her back, and holding 2 others on each hand is a painful choice that most of us make because we think there is nothing else we can do; however, in Femi Anikulapo Kuti’s new song, “Politics Na Big Business,” he wants you to know voting honestly, counts as an effort towards healing a Nigeria that has been hurt by bad leadership. As someone born just 2 years after Nigeria’s independence, it must be disappointing for Femi Kuti to look out of his window to still see an uneasy balance of hopelessness and helplessness in the eyes of beggars on the street, or even worse, the violent hunger that most of us translate as “ambition” or “hustle.” Usually, when I hear my cousin’s loud voice saying: “hmmm, you have to hustle in this Lagos oh! Na beans?” the words come out with an energy that makes the Nigerian hustle sound common sensical – like I have no other choice. I agree that it is not beans. And, yes, I do understand that the hustlers are the survivors in Nigeria; yet, I still do not understand why this hustle has become the norm. Obviously, everybody has their own definition, but if the word “hustle,” has to be a separate word from “earn,” [i.e to be duly worthy] why should the survival of a new born Nigerian baby depend on the hustle game of his mother or father? Why do I have to push someone – roughly for that matter – to attain the happiness that we have been promised for 54 years?

Instead of finger pointing the culprits of corruption, Femi Kuti uses a passionate and strong vocal outcry to appeal to the masses who seem to have given up on the Nigeria of their dreams; his new song, “Politics Na Big Business,” reads like those old cautionary tales I would hear from my mother as she begged me to be a good girl on my own integrity while un-subtly warning that unwanted pregnancy would be a sure consequence if I fail. Bathed in cool and sprightly instrumentals, Femi Kuti repeats “Politics Na Big Business;” these 4 Pidgin words sink into the mind as friendly but elderly advice as he begs Nigerians to hold on to the worth of their votes.

Luckily for us, Femi Kuti’s concern goes beyond commentary: with all honesty, he calls Nigerians to action; “abeg open your eyes open your ears, when you see politicians you better beware. Most of them they don’t really care. Na the groundwork of their business dem they prepare.” On the record, Sound Sultan also drops some sound advice for the Nigerians that are infamous for selling their votes for a bag of Garri or a box of Indomie noodles; Sound Sultan wants you to “tell them you are finding food for your soul.” So, next time Chief A or B approaches you with a bag of parboiled rice, you can use Sound Sultan lyrics to bind and cast those political monsters.

One of the major problems with Nigeria’s corruption is that it has found a home in the everyday culture of the common Nigerian; the truth is that corruption has a boomerang effect: most times, many of us see the act of corruption as it happens but we cannot recognize the depths of its implications. It usually feels harmless until we become victims of the same corruption, held hostage by someone deprived by the same system; Femi Kuti’s song calls us to reflect: how do we allow the leaders fail us time and time again? Are the leaders failing us or do we sell our votes to failures? Femi Kuti, 2face Idibia and Sound Sultan have teamed up to warn Nigerians of the lucrative political business; without a doubt, those 3 understand that it is the emptiness of the stomach that stretches it’s hand to collect the tubers of yam we are offered. But the poetic Sound Sultan uses his words of encouragement to remind us of our human dignity: “never let your mouth get in the way of your mind,” Sound Sultan sings.

“No revolutionary movement is complete without it’s poetic expression. If such a movement has caught hold of the imagination of the masses, they will seek a vent in song for the aspirations, fears, and hopes the loves and hatreds engendered by the struggle. Until the movement is marked by the joyous, defiant singing of revolutionary songs, it lacks one of the most distinctive marks of a popular revolutionary movement; it is the dogma of the few and not the faith of the multitude.” — James Connolly, 1907