Fela Kuti tribute album Red Hot + Riot arrives on streaming for first time in honor of World AIDS Day
The album, first released in 2002, features contributions from D’Angelo, Questlove, Sade, and more.
December 1 is World AIDS Day and to mark the occasion the Red Hot organization is releasing a 20th Anniversary Edition of Red Hot + Riot, a tribute to Fela Kuti. The updated and remastered version of the 2002 album is available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp for the first time and comes with previously unshared bonus material, including a cover of "Sorrow Tears & Blood" featuring Bilal, Zap Mama, and Common. Scroll down to hear that and stream the album in full.
In addition to "Sorrow Tears & Blood," the remastered version of the album features an acoustic version of “Trouble Sleep” with Baba Maal and kora player Kaouding Cissoko, plus an extended version of Sade’s “By Your Side” by Stuart Matthewman.
Red Hot + Riot was released five years after Fela Kuti died of causes related to HIV/AIDS in 1997. The album was the brainchild of Questlove and features contributions from D’Angelo, Questlove, Femi Kuti, Talib Kweli, Sade, Tony Allen, Macy Gray, Nile Rogers, Jorge Ben Jor, Baba Maal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dead Prez, Kelis, Roy Hargrove, Archie Shepp, and more.