KEY POINTS
- Barack Obama praises Fela Kuti as a musical genius.
- New Fear No Man podcast explores Fela’s legacy.
- The series honors the political and musical roots of Afrobeat.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama has paid tribute to late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, calling him a “musical genius from Nigeria” who blended funk, jazz, and soul into the globally celebrated Afrobeat sound.
Obama made the remarks in a video shared on his social media accounts on Wednesday night, encouraging fans to listen to “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man,” a 12-part podcast released by Higher Ground, the production company he co-founded with Michelle Obama.
Furthermore, the podcast chronicles Fela’s evolution as an artist and activist, exploring how his music became a tool for resistance and social change across Africa and beyond.
Fela Kuti: Fear No Man explores Afrobeat’s roots
In the series, now on its fourth episode, listeners are taken back to Fela’s childhood and early influences — from watching his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, make history as a fearless women’s rights advocate to his political awakening during his 1969 stay in Los Angeles.
Episode one, titled “To Hell and Back,” features Obama as one of several interviewees reflecting on the cultural and emotional power of Fela’s work. “Music like Fela’s is able to not just keep folks moving but also make them feel alive,” Obama said.
According to producers, the show draws from more than 200 interviews with Fela’s family, friends, and collaborators, including Burna Boy, Paul McCartney, Questlove, and members of the Kuti family, Yeni, Femi, and Mádé Kuti.
Fela’s global impact celebrated through sound
Produced by Higher Ground, Fear No Man continues Obama’s growing list of music-centered storytelling projects, following the success of “The Wonder of Stevie,” which spotlighted Stevie Wonder.
The new series seeks to further capture how Fela’s fearless art, political defiance, and Pan-African ideals shaped generations of musicians and activists. “It’s a beautiful show about a unique figure in musical history who mixed art with activism,” Obama said.
