8: Zombie

Summary

Fela Kuti: Fear No Man – Episode 8: Zombie

Podcast by Higher Ground | Host: Jad Abumrad | Date: November 12, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode, “Zombie,” explores Fela Kuti’s iconic song "Zombie"—a musical masterpiece that not only became the cornerstone of Afrobeat but also one of the most potent protest songs in global history. Host Jad Abumrad dives into how "Zombie" ignited a firestorm in 1970s Nigeria, provoked the ire of the military, and became an anthem for courage and rebellion. Through interviews with Fela’s family, fans, journalists, fellow musicians like Santigold, and cultural historians, the legacy and explosive power of "Zombie" are vividly brought to life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Immortal Power of “Zombie”

• Cultural Weight:
  Jad compares "Zombie" to songs like "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) and "Jolene" (Dolly Parton)—defining works that overshadow the artist’s catalog. For Fela Kuti, "Zombie" is that song: banned from Nigerian radio, yet echoing defiantly from every home (00:26).
• Instant Impact:
  When Beyonce referenced Fela at Coachella, she chose "Zombie" (00:41). When Fela was kicked out of Ghana, it was due to performing "Zombie" (00:51).

2. “Zombie” as a Dangerous Force

• Personal Recollections:
  Actor/writer Ayo Adebiri shares how her Nigerian father’s "Zombie" record was smashed by his own father because the song was considered dangerous (01:44).
  • Quote: "He broke it and he threw it out... because it was that dangerous." – Ayo Adebiri (01:58)
  • "It was taboo. But I ended up replacing it and hiding it... Zombie was huge." – Dele Adebiri, Ayo’s father (02:23)
• Reasons for Fear:
  The song led to riots and protests and struck terror among authorities. Jad notes it's not just music that upset listeners—it riled them into action against power itself (03:10).

3. Birth of a Movement

• Young African Pioneers:
  Amid Fela’s creative peak in 1976, he and his circle started the "Young African Pioneers," aiming to embolden Nigeria’s youth (04:55).
  • "We need a newspaper to spread our ideas... beginning to build the young guys of Nigeria not to be afraid of the military anymore." – Former member (05:00)

4. Direct Confrontation with Power

• Journalistic Perspective:
  Journalist John Darnton describes how Fela’s music, especially "Zombie," was banned yet omnipresent:
  • "When you went through Lagos driving, you would hear it coming out from shanties all over the place. It was spread like gospel. And Zombie in particular was an attack on the military." (05:33)
• Performance Art:
  Depiction of Fela’s live acts: bold, mocking, goose-stepping in tight white pants, making fun of the military (06:49).

5. A Song That Possesses

• Zombie Dance:
  Former Young African Pioneers and bandmates spontaneously re-enact the "Zombie" dance, illustrating its infectiousness, likening it to a “pre-TikTok” phenomenon (07:51).
• Contagious Defiance:
  Even Fela’s detractors, like his cousin Taiwo Lijadu of the Lijadu Sisters, confessed to the song’s overpowering effect:
  • "He was talking directly at them, to them." – Taiwo Lijadu (09:12)
  • "That song can kill you... when you watch them, they will kill you in a heartbeat." – Taiwo Lijadu (09:29)
• Story of Bravery:
  She recalls a bus ride where passengers, emboldened by "Zombie," mocked a policeman—an act unthinkable in Lagos’ oppressive climate (10:41):
  • "Everybody said, 'Zombie.' Everybody started, you know... That's the effect you have." – Taiwo Lijadu (10:54)
• Jad sums up: the song became "a magic trick... a trickster contagion," turning fear into collective courage and ridicule of authority (11:18).

6. The Global, Generational Legacy

• Musical Transmission & Sampling:
  "Zombie" is Fela’s most sampled song (02:44) and has enthralled generations, showing up in remixes by contemporary Nigerian artists.
• Family Connections:
  Santigold (Santi White) talks about growing up with Fela’s music, and how her father introduced Questlove to it (14:51).
  • Quote: "If you ever talk to Questlove, he always credits my dad for how he knows about Fela..." – Santigold (14:51)
  • Questlove: "I was impressed... I was listening to African music that wasn't so damn happy." (15:45)

7. The Santigold “Zombie” Premiere

• A World Premiere Cover:
  Santigold shares the story behind her unique cover of "Zombie," performed for her child’s school fundraiser during the pandemic, with all-star collaborators (16:24).
  • "How do I sing like Fela, you know? Like, that's a huge thing.... So it took me a minute. But once I got it, I got it, you know." – Santigold (16:42)
• Creative Process:
  She discusses navigating the language barrier, embracing different vocal styles, and making it her own (17:39).
• Full Cover Played:
  The episode features Santigold’s vibrant, defiant, and joyful version in its entirety (19:35–23:23).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "When Zombie came out... His dad found his record and he, like, broke it and he threw it out because it was that dangerous."
  — Ayo Adebiri (01:48)

• "It was taboo. But I ended up replacing it and hiding it... Zombie was huge."
  — Dele Adebiri (02:23)

• "Zombie in particular was an attack on the military. It's basically calling the military Zombies."
  — John Darnton (05:54)

• "He would break into this dance... It was a dance that all the kids knew, sort of like pre TikTok."
  — Jad Abumrad (07:59)

• "That song can kill you... They will kill you in a heartbeat when you watch them."
  — Taiwo Lijadu (09:29)

• "The song made people irrationally brave. It was sort of like a magic trick."
  — Jad Abumrad (11:18)

• "If Fellah is a trickster, in a way, this was his best trick because it was contagious."
  — Jad Abumrad (11:31)

• "How do I sing like Fela, you know? Like that's a huge thing.... So it took me a minute. But once I got it, I got it, you know."
  — Santigold (16:42)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–00:41 | "Zombie" compared to iconic songs in music history | | 01:44–02:23 | Ayo Adebiri & her father's memory of "Zombie" | | 03:10–03:48 | Songs that cause real-world unrest | | 04:55–05:11 | Young African Pioneers’ founding | | 05:24–06:49 | John Darnton on the song’s ban and military attack | | 07:51–08:15 | The "Zombie" dance reenactment | | 09:12–10:07 | Taiwo Lijadu on the song’s lethal fervor | | 10:41–11:18 | The bus story: mockery of the police | | 13:58–15:45 | Santigold and Questlove on Fela’s influence | | 16:24–17:51 | Santigold’s process in covering "Zombie" | | 19:35–23:23 | World premiere: Santigold’s cover of "Zombie" |

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Tone & Style

The episode is vibrant, serious, and deeply personal—combining detailed oral history with Jad’s characteristic narrative energy. First-hand memories, humor, reverence for music, and honest confrontation with dangerous history create an immersive portrait of a song that changed lives and challenged a regime.

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Conclusion

"Zombie" is more than a protest song—it's a rallying cry that shook Nigeria and continues to empower listeners worldwide. This episode shows how music can embolden, unify, and even endanger both artist and audience. The next episode promises to detail the explosive confrontation that followed the release of "Zombie," underscoring the stakes when art and activism collide.

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Transcript

[A]

This is Fila Kuti. Fear no, man. I'm jad Abumrad. Chapter 8. Should we just start with Zombie? Maybe we should start with Zombie.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I heard that you made a version of Zombie. Oh, did you hear that? I was like, what? Oh, my God, it's. It's awesome. Fucking great. I know.

[B]

And it was for my kids school.

[A]

In this chapter, we talk about Zombie fellas Magnum opus, the song that brought everything to a boil. We'll also have a world premiere of an incredible version of Zombie.

[B]

Honestly, I was surprised because.

[A]

But first, context. No matter how prolific a musician is, certain songs just loom large over their whole discography. Gloria Gaynor has I Will Survive, the song you play when you need some strength. Whitney Houston has I Will Always Love youe, one of the most iconic pop songs ever. Jolene. Jolene. And Dolly Parton has Jolene, a song that has been covered dozens of times, translated into all kinds of languages. A song people name their kids after. For Fela, it is Zombie. When Beyonce chose to quote Fela Kuti in her epic Coachella performance, engraving it forever in her Homecoming album, there is one song she chose. When Fela got kicked out of Ghana when he was on tour, it was for playing one song, 1976. The song was banned from Nigerian radio, but would pour out of people's homes.

[C]

Well, my father's Nigerian and you know, he's of that generation. When his music was coming out, the.

[A]

Song actually came up in a conversation I had with actor, comedian, writer Ayo Adeburi.

[C]

And my dad has told me stories of when Zombie came out. His dad found his record and he, like, broke it and he threw it.

[A]

Out because it was that dangerous, because.

[C]

It was so dangerous. And I think also my grandfather was like, not in my house. No way.

[D]

Yes, he did take it and he broke it. He destroyed it. He wasn't happy.

[A]

This is Ayo's dad, Dele Adebri. Ayo gave us his email. He was nice enough to talk to us. He told me it is hard to communicate how radioactive the song was.

[D]

Oh, my goodness. It was taboo. It was taboo. But I ended up replacing it and. And I ended up hiding it so that it wouldn't say and. And it was. It was a big deal. Zombie was huge.

[A]

Zombie, by the way, is also Fella's most sampled. Follow, follow one Kiddie boy, boy, boy. Just to go like Zombie that falls. A Nigerian rapper. We'll play you a different remix in a bit, but first I want to get back to something that Ayo and.

[C]

Her dad said it was so dangerous.

[D]

It was, it was. I remember that very vividly. It led to a lot of riots, protests.

[A]

Why? What made Zombie so dangerous? I love stories where music legit riles people up. Where it goes beyond simply, you know, an escape or entertainment. And you know, to be fair, there are those stories that are out there. Like a Strauss opera where for whatever reason, people hissed and catcalled. Or in 1914, a guy named Luigi Russolo makes a. This is when music got weird and experimental. He does a piece that sounds like traffic. Literally, people in the audience get into fist fights or Rite of Spring. That's one that people talk about all the time. Apparently some people in the audience didn't like the music or the movements of the ballet dancers that they were seeing. It was too out there for them. There was apparently a riot. Although some people say, no, that's exaggerated. Doesn't matter. For our purposes, that story and all the others are ones where the audience rebels against the composer. What about the opposite? A song that actually pushes the audience to rebel with the composer against the people in power. That's what Zombie did. Maybe better than any other song in human history. I'm just gonna say that people can correct me. I'm just gonna say this is number one. What gave this song its power. I'm gonna try and answer that question as best I can. Then I wanna play you a completely different Zombie remix made by one of my absolute fav. So Cincinnat 1976. Pivotal year for Fela. He's firing on all cylinders. He's getting into politics. He and his three lieutenants from the last chapter, Lemmy, Duro and id.

[E]

We decided we're going to start the Young African Pioneers.

[A]

They start a youth movement.

[E]

We need a newspaper to spread our ideas. Have 500,000 readers who are beginning to build the young guys of Nigeria not to be afraid of the military anymore.

[A]

And on top of all that, he is of course releasing records. Six records that year, the sixth of which was Zombie, which is immediately banned from the radio.

[F]

You know, his music was not allowed by the government.

[A]

That's journalist John darten, who in 1976 was a foreign correspondent for the New York Times based in Lagos. One of the few foreign journalists to cover Fela at that time.

[F]

You are not supposed to play it, but when you went through Lagos driving, you would hear it coming out from shanties all over the place. So it was spread like gospel. And Zombie in particular was an attack on the military. It's basically calling the military Zombies.

[A]

The lyrics are simple and direct. After about five minutes of a fast, fierce groove and a sax solo and a trumpet solo and some horn arrangements, he sings. Basically, he says, the soldiers are zombies. They don't march unless they're told to. They don't stop unless they're told to. They don't think unless they're told to. John remembers seeing Fela play this at.

[F]

His club, the Shrine, when he sang it. At first, he flirts with the audience. He'll turn around and smile, wiggle his ass in these tight white pants, turn back, grab the saxophone, then put the saxophone under his arm as if it's a rifle march around the stage, kind of goose step around the stage.

[A]

And then in this part that comes up, he would break into this dance. It's quite a dance. On our last day in Lagos, we met up with former Yap member Duro Ikuenyo and two guys that he plays with, Shayun Ulara and Wale Baine. And in the middle of our interview with them, they spontaneously broke into the zombie dance.

[D]

Attention. Quick match left touch left arm right.

[A]

They made their legs and arms very stiff and straight ahead. But then with every phrase, they would jump in the air and spin around. That's great. It's like watching a really intense dance cardio workout done by Zombies now in 1976. That dance, it was a dance that all the kids knew, sort of like pre TikTok. TikTok. And it had a whole different energy to it. The bizarre energy that this song could summon really crystallized for me when I was talking to Chief Taiwo Lijiadu, who is one half of the Lijiado sisters, one of the more popular groups to come out of Nigeria in the 1970s and 80s. She Also, as it happens, is Fela's cousin and is not a fan of his. We spent most of the interview with her talking about his failings, his arrogance, how he behaved like a tyrant. But when I played this song for her on my phone, her expression changed.

[E]

No, he was talking. He was talking directly at them, to them.

[A]

And at the end of our interview, soon as I'd hit stop, she told me that that song. You're saying something interesting now. I just hit stop. Wait, you said that song can kill you.

[E]

If you see how people react to that song, Zombie, even the way they dance to it, they will kill you in a heartbeat when you watch them.

[A]

She says when people started dancing to that song, something came over them. And then she told me a story of when she was in Nigeria and she was On a bus with a few dozen other people, and they were going down a highway and they got stopped by a policeman. Now in Lagos, the police are everywhere. One of the games that we would play while we were in Lagos and stuck in traffic is that we would count all the different uniforms. Like, oh, they're the green shirted police unit. That's the. That's the yellow ones with pink lapels. That's the black shirted ones. There's just so many. And it is just well understood that you do not talk back to the police. This is perhaps a direct legacy of colonialism because that's how it used to be with the colonial police command and control. The expectation was then and still is now that when a policeman shows up, you are supposed to shut your mouth and obey. And if you don't, you could be fined, beaten, or even killed. So anyhow, this policeman walks onto the bus.

[E]

The guy came in, looked in, he was tough looking, he was angry. He wanted money from everybody. People who could give him, gave. People who couldn't, didn't give him.

[A]

Then he walked off the bus and.

[E]

Then he said, go. And then somebody said, zombie. Everybody said, zombie. Everybody started, you know, and then he started running after us because he heard that zombie, he ran after us, but he could. Couldn't catch us. That's the effect you have.

[A]

She said the song made people irrationally brave. It seemed to turn the police, this very scary thing, into a joke, and in that way give people courage. It was sort of like a magic trick. If Fellah is a trickster, in a way, this was his best trick because it was contagious. He created almost like a trickster contagion. Imagine all of this from the perspective of the military. You've got a musician who's become a politician, who's become a publisher who's threatening to run for president, who has created a song that is blaring out of every record store and every open window that seems to diminish the police and embolden the people. Hey, everybody, what if you had a magic power where you could find whatever it is you're looking for in any given moment right away? Parking spot right there. Holiday gift shopping. Done. Pants that actually fit. Boom. Imagine how much time you would save. While you may never instantly find these things, if you are hiring, you can find qualified candidates right away time and time again with ZipRecruiter. And today you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com Fela ZipRecruiter's seemingly magic technology Matches you with top talent fast. And that is why ZipRecruiter is the number one rated hiring site based on G2. Want to know right away how many qualified candidates are in your area? Look no further than ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And right now you can try it for [e-mail] Phylla again, that's ziprecruiter.com Fela ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire this is Fela Kuti Fear no man. We're telling the story of Zombie, a song which sets the stage for a very violent, very dramatic confrontation. We're going to go into way more detail about that in the next chapter. But first, hi. Hey.

[B]

Sorry.

[A]

Oh, no worries.

[G]

How's it going?

[A]

Good.

[F]

How are you?

[G]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Yeah, it's going to be. I'm so excited.

[G]

Oh, cool.

[A]

I've been a huge fan for so long.

[G]

Really?

[A]

Yeah.

[G]

Thanks.

[A]

Big vibe shift. First, a totally different angle on Zombie Huns. One of my happiest days on this project was getting to interview the singer songwriter, Santigold. If you don't know Santigold, her music is this mixture of influences that is as eclectic as Felaz. It's Bad Brains, hardcore meets hip hop meets ska meets R and B. All of those things. But also none of those things. She's made a bunch of albums, soundtracked a bunch of commercials, and also many days in the life of Jad.

[B]

I'm Santi Gold. Santi White. Santi Gold. And I am in la and we are in my bag house.

[A]

We met in a music studio that was attached to the back of her house. I feel honored to be in this room because, like I told you, I'm kind of a super fan.

[E]

Aww.

[A]

And we're sitting, like, directly underneath a giant poster of Feyla. This is the sound of me craning my neck. Kane. What is this? He's sort of like looming over us, which seems appropriate, but what is this like?

[B]

So this was a poster. I had this record and I don't even know what songs are on this record, to be honest. And I don't know where I got this record. I might have taken it from my dad's record collection a long time ago because I liked the COVID I grew up listening to that music since I can remember listening to music. That's what we listened to, like, on Saturday mornings in our house that was playing car rides with My dad that was playing.

[A]

And speaking of Fela Gateways, my dad.

[B]

Like, if you ever talk to Questlove, he always credits my dad for how he knows about Fela because people come over and learn about Fela at my house.

[H]

Her father was a prominent lawyer. One day in his car, I heard Everybody Run, Run, Run, a song that was once sampled by X Clan coming out of Santi's father's Jeep. He was picking up from school and they saw us and rolled the window down. And all I noticed was like, oh, wait a minute. Didn't Ex Clan use that in a song? And then the night when she got the car or something, we were all going out, she had one of the CDs. And I remember joking that, yo, this song is like 19 minutes. I remember being impressed that one, she was listening to African music. Two, I was impressed. I was listening to African music that wasn't so damn happy.

[A]

Anyhow, should we just start with Zombie? Maybe we should start with Zombie.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I heard that you made a version of the Zombie. Oh, did you hear that? I was like, what? Oh, my God, it's awesome. Great.

[G]

I know.

[B]

And it was for my kids school.

[A]

Brief backstory before we hear it.

[B]

Every year, I'm asked to do a song performance, usually live, for my son's school's fundraiser for scholarships. The first year I did it was right, like, days before lockdown started for the first pandemic, like the 2020. And on stage, it was me, Dave Grohl, Wendy and Lisa from Princess Revolution.

[A]

Oh, my God. Beck.

[B]

Greg Kirsten is the producer who puts the whole thing together. Maya Rudolph singing background vocals.

[A]

I mean, it was like, what? It was insane because they all have kids who go to school.

[B]

They have kids at the school.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And so that was super fun. It was great. And we all did, like, a little bits of everybody's songs.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then the next year was the pandemic. They're like, we want to do this thing. And it was going to be virtual, and I didn't really want to do it. And I was like, only way I'll do it is if I get to choose a song. And Greg's like, of course you get to choose a song. And I was like, zombie. And he was like, okay. So I go to his studio and, you know when you know a song since you're a little kid, but you never think about what it'd be like to sing the song. How do I sing? Like Fela, you know? Yeah, like, that's a huge thing. And what voice am I gonna use? And how do I. And half of it's not in English, so I hadn't thought about it. So it took me a minute. I think Greg was probably like, oh, what's gonna happen? But that's how I am. I just work it out in the moment and then once I get it, I got it, you know. And once I got it, I was like, this is so much fun. Cause I got to do There was only me. And I thought we were gonna overlay other background, you know. Cause it's.

[A]

It's a.

[B]

Definitely a chorus. You've got to have all different voices and all that to make it really feel right. But that's actually my favorite thing to do is use all different voices and do. When I do my own vocals, I sing in all different ways.

[A]

Okay, so here is Santi Gold's version of Zombie made in a very un zombie situation for a kid's school fundraiser. We're gonna play it for you in full because A it is radio friendly and B, it is filled with that very particular fella blend of joy and defiance that we're going to need as we head into the next chapter where this shit really hits the fan.

[G]

Zombie no go go unless you tell him to go Zombie no go stop unless you tell him to stop Zombie no go turn unless you tell him to turn Zombie no go think unless you tell him to think Zombie, oh zombie Zombie, oh zombie Zombie, oh zombie Zombie, oh zombie Zombie no go go unless you tell them to go Zombie no go stop unless you tell them to stop Zombie no go turn unless.

[A]

You.

[G]

Zombie no go think unless you tell him to think Zombie, oh zombie, oh zombie Zombie, oh zombie oh zombie Tell him to go straight no break, no job, no sense A door, a jar, a jaw Tell him to go kill a door, a jar, a jaw no break no job, no sense A door, a jar, a jewel Tell him to go quench a door, a jar, a jaw no break no job, no sense Zombie way now one way Jora jara joro Zombie way now one way Jora jara joro Zombie way now one way Jora jara joro ajin jump with march slow mouth left turn right turn about turn double arm salute Open your mouth Stir your knees Fall down, fall out fall down get ready attend down quick march slow march Left turn right turn about turn Double up salute Open your house Stand east and fall out Slow march left turn right turn about turn double up salute Open your east Fall down fall up fall down Give ready attention way much so much. Left turn, right turn, about turn. Salute. Open your house stand. Fall out. Sam Zombie. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie. Zombie.

[A]

Zombie.

[G]

Zombie.

[A]

That was the COVID of Zombie or Zombie as the Nigerians say from the Amazing Santigold, a song that she made for a fundraiser for her kids school. Santi's latest album is Spirituals. It is great. Check it out. Thank you Also to Duro Ikugenyo for his research help and to to his band Age of Aquarius and to the Bogobiri house in Lagos for use of their space. In the next episode, things will come to a head very dramatically and the song that you just heard will play a role in that. That story is next.