Diddy names Fela on Black 100 list

Tagged the Black 100, Diddy’s list is obviously inspired by the Time 100 list, which Diddy has himself been a part of, having written about Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman for the 2018 edition of the list curated by the famed magazine.

Diddy, however, has restricted his list to black persons or persons who appear to have some currency in African-American spaces. As a result, the list has a number of rappers but also includes figures famous in other fields such as politics, entrepreneurship, athletics and more. For musicians, the American mogul included Beyoncé, Erykah Badu and Jay-Z.

He also includes a figure Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Badu have been associated with over the years: Fela Kuti. While Beyoncé is said to have recorded an unreleased album inspired by Fela, Jay-Z received a co-producer credit on the Broadway show Fela! which captured the life of the late Nigerian artist.

“I think he’s just as fascinating as Bob Marley. I feel the same emotion,” Jay-Z said about Fela when the show opened in 2009.

Last year, the Afrobeat originator had a box set of his music curated by Badu. At the time she wrote: “I prefer things that come super-duper easy to me. Effortless creations are my forte. That's how I feel about the music of Fela Kuti. It’s so good that there is no way he gave it any thought. With Fela, it seems to just have spilled right out of him. We instantly get the feeling that we are connected to those tones and vibrations.”

“Fela Kuti is a f*ck*ng genius,” she added. “Please listen to these tracks, preferably with a nice blunt… with a nice slow burn.”

The considerably American and rather arbitrary list also includes former US first lady Michelle Obama, broadcaster Anderson Cooper, Diddy paramour Cassie, tennis player Serena Williams and tech innovator Elon Musk.

In a series of posts on Instagram, Diddy showed their names on individual boxes. “Culture creators,” he captioned one post. “I have something special for you.”

It is unclear how Diddy intends to deliver the package to Fela. The great musician passed on in 1997.