Red Hot’s Red Hot + Riot tribute to Fela Kuti marks its 20th anniversary in 2022 and it has a reissue to mark the occasion. Today is World AIDs Day and the recording is now available for the first time on streaming services and has been remastered with two hours of new music. There is an unreleased version of “Sorrow, Tears & Blood” by Bilal, an extended version of Sade’s “By Your Side” by Stuart Matthewman, an acoustic version of “Trouble Sleep” featuring Baaba Maal and kora player Kaouding Cissoko and more.
Fela Kuti is the father of Afrobeat and he died of AIDs-related causes in 1997. Red, Hot is a non-profit that started releasing compilations to fight AIDS through pop culture in 1990. Questlove suggested that Red, Hot cover Sly Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On but they were not able to clear the copyrights. Red, Hot was able to get the rights and master recordings of Fela’s music. Questlove had a jam session at Electric Ladyland with D’Angelo and Fela’s son Femi Kuti and they performed “Water Get No Enemy.” Femi’s band Positive Force, Niles Rogers, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Macy Gray were some of the other artists who were part of the album. You can buy it and the merchandise on the Red Hot Bandcamp page.
Red Hot + Riot Reissue
- Fela Mentality (Intro) – Mixmaster Mike + Mario Caldato, Jr.
- Kalakuta Show – Mixmaster Mike, Gift of Gab and Lateef (of Blackalicious)
- Interlude: Live at Kalakuta – Posuma, Remedies, Taiwo, Segun, Tosin, Andres Levin
- Shuffering and Shmiling – Dead Prez, Jorge Ben Jor, Talib Kweli, Jorge Ben, Bilal + Positive Force
- Interlude: Gimme Shit – Mixmaster Mike + Mario Caldato, Jr.
- Water No Get Enemy –D’Angelo, Femi Kuti, Macy Gray + Questlove featuring Roy Hargrove, Nile Rodgers, The Soutronics + Positive Force
- Gentleman – Meshell Ndegeocello + Yerba Buena featuring Ron Blake
- Tears + Sorrow – Common, Meshell Ndegeocello + Djelimady Tounkara
- Shakara / Lady (Part One) – Cheikh Lô
- Shakara / Lady (Part Two) – Cheikh Lô, Les Nubians, and Manu Dibango
- Don’t Worry About My Mouth O – Monoaural (Kassin + Berna Ceppas)
- Zombie (Part One) – Bugz in the Attic featuring Wunmi
- Zombie (Part Two) – Bugz in the Attic featuring Nile Rodgers + Roy Hargrove + Money Mark
- No Agreement – Tony Allen, Res, Ray Lema, Baaba Maal, Positive Black Soul + Archie Shepp
- So Be It – Kelis
- Interlude: This Is an Ashanti Proverb – Monoaural (Kassin + Berna Ceppas)
- By Your Side – Sade (Cottonbelly Fola Remix – Edit)
- Colonial Mentality – Yerba Buena + Lenine
- Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am – Baaba Maal + Taj Mahal featuring Kaouding Cissoko + Antibalas
