Fela Kuti's Artist: "He Made Me Smoke Weed to Design Albums"

Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu recalls his wild collaboration with Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. It began when Kuti saw his art and exclaimed, "Wow!" The musician then insisted Ghariokwu smoke marijuana before designing his now-famous album sleeves. Ghariokwu, 70, was a close friend of Kuti. He recently designed a major box-set of the musician's work. Kuti's legacy is also featured in a new podcast produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. The artist also remembers a day of violence in 1977. Soldiers attacked Kuti's Lagos compound, known as the Kalakuta Republic. "There were flames everywhere," Ghariokwu says. "Soldiers with bayoneted rifles were dragging people out. Nobody knew if Fela was still inside the burning building."