Not that long ago, we were treated to Wugazi, an album which combined the unlikely marriage of Wu Tang Clan and Fugazi. The difference between the two groups forced producers Cecil Otter and Swiss Andy to be creative in how they matched the two up and made it into a coherent and enjoyable listening experience. With Fela Soul, Amerigo Gazaway chose a more sensible match in De La Soul and Fela Kuti. It was an idea that instead of causing the reaction of “I wonder how that will work?” made me think, “Of course! Why hasn’t anyone done this already?” Taking the vocals from the Native Tongues hip hop group and mixing it with the music from the Nigerian jazz artist makes perfect sense. Kuti composed and performed hypnotic grooves with heavy interaction between horns and drums, but used that music as a platform to fight for political change under a corrupt government. De La Soul used an album like Stakes is High to take hip hop culture to task right before the murders of 2Pac and Biggie. The conversation between the two occurs naturally.

Amerigo Gazaway is an emcee, deejay, and producer from Nashville. As a solo artist, he’s released down tempo instrumental tracks along with politically-minded tracks such “The Great Flood,” which features samples of Brian Williams talking about the flood in Tennessee alongside his own verses about how people in his home state suffered.

With this project he does an excellent job of fitting De La’s rhymes with Kuti’s music. The grooves that Kuti laid down are not so far away from J Dilla’s warm, soulful production style, so it makes sense that the album opens with “Stakes is High,” a song that manages to still be relevant fifteen years after it came out. Gazaway makes some interesting song choices, including the lesser known song they did with DJ Honda, “Trouble in the Water,” and the Gorillaz track “Feel Good Inc.” The song that has the most successful reinterpretation is “Itsoweezee,” which comes to new life with a reggae beat. Also, you can be sure I’ll be spinning the “Ooh” remix the next time I’m deejaying. The funk formed by the combination of these two acts is just undeniable.

It’s a natural marriage of artists, and Gazaway does an excellent job in picking music and lyrics that let every aspect of the songs shine. If you’re reading this site, there’s an excellent chance that you’re already familiar with both De La Soul and Fela Kuti. If not, get on the good foot and get to your local record store. They are both excellent, and Gazaway has now unleashed their combined power.