The revolutionary spirit and musical genius of Nigerian icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti are being celebrated on a global stage in a new podcast series curated by former U.S. President Barack Obama. The 12-episode series, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, is produced by Obama’s media company, Higher Ground, in partnership with Audible.
In a joint announcement on Instagram, President Obama hailed Fela as “a musical genius from Nigeria who made art with activism.” He invited a global audience to explore the podcast, which he said “tells the story of a unique figure in musical history who combined funk, jazz and soul into a new genre called Afrobeat.”
Going beyond a simple biography, the series provides a deep dive into the confluence of Fela’s iconic sound, his tumultuous life, and his fearless political activism.
Listeners are granted intimate access through exclusive interviews with his family, including his children, Yeni and Femi Kuti, and his grandson, Made Kuti, offering a personal perspective on his enduring legacy.
This project continues Higher Ground’s mission of spotlighting transformative musical figures, following their previous series on Stevie Wonder.
Fela Kuti: Fear No Man specifically aims to illuminate the artist’s powerful, anti-establishment message and his profound influence on musicians around the world.
The podcast, which is already several episodes deep, is available for streaming exclusively on Audible and other major podcast platforms.
