Fela Kuti, the late Afrobeat legend, and Burna Boy, the Afrofusion singer, are named in Rolling Stone’s ‘200 greatest musicians of all time’ list.
Popular American Music-focused Magazine, Rolling Stone has
included Grammy Award-winning Nigerian afrobeat artist, Damini Ebuonoluwa
Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy and late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
on its list of 200 greatest singers of all time.
The list which was released recently to honour the best
vocalist in pop music is an updated version of the Magazine’s 2008 list of 100
greatest singers of all time.
The list was topped by late American singer and songwriter,
Aretha Franklin who occupied the number one position, while Nigerian music
stars Fela Kuti and Burna Boy were listed at number 188 and 197 respectively.
According to the magazine, the singers were judged based on
originality, influence, catalogue depth and the breadth of their legacy.
“In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality,
influence, the depth of an artist’s catalogue, and the breadth of their musical
legacy. A voice can be gorgeous like Mariah Carey’s, rugged like Toots
Hibbert’s, understated like Willie Nelson’s, slippery and sumptuous like
D’Angelo’s, or bracing like Bob Dylan’s. But in the end, the singers behind it
are here for one reason: They can remake the world just by opening their
mouths.” The Magazine said in a statement.
While speaking on the late Fela Kuti who occupied number 188 on the list, the magazine said, Fela Kuti’s iconic songs of the 1970s and 1980s are sprawling orchestral instrumentals, an innovative swirl of African highlife, American soul, and jazz.
Through his music, he shared an anti-colonialist, Pan-African vision and challenged Nigeria’s corrupt military government, which routinely subjected him and those around him to immense harm. Yet it wasn’t just Fela’s lyrical rebellion that makes him so important — it’s the way his voice carried his vision; the way he sang, his tone commanding and direct, plain and firm. His stern but conversational melodies made his movement more accessible.
On 1986’s “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense,” where he
tackles whitewashed education and failed governments, he coos, “I say, I sing,
I beg everyone to join my song.” And he performed in such a way that they
could.
On Burna Boy who was listed at 197 in the list, the magazine
described him as “A Nigerian cultural giant, Burna Boy is the ambassador of
Afrobeats as a global movement that can feel equally at home climbing the
European charts and maintaining a subtle emotional connection with past African
genres like highlife.
“Burna’s voice is sweet like caramel, but it can also soar
on slickly produced tracks like his recent megahit ‘Last Last’ or the 2019 gem
‘Anybody’ amped up by deep bass accents and insanely sophisticated polyrhythms.
His vocal lines find inspiration in everything from hip-hop and R & B to
hooky pop and dancehall. The world is his playground.”
Noticeably missing on the list is Canadian singer, Celine
Marie Claudette Dion better known simply as Celine Dion who is often considered
by many as one of greatest singers of all time due to her powerful and
technically skilled vocals.
Check out the full list here.