I’m a big fan of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat, the genre of music he pioneered. A bold and innovative musician, he was also a fascinating, complicated figure, one who was of tremendous political significance in his native Nigeria and beyond. His biography makes for a great read, even in brief overview.
I love his epic, sprawling songs performed with a large band, which could be made up of so many musicians you could be forgiven for thinking the band, the Africa 70, was named for the number of performers in it. The music’s a mix of jazz, with his band’s big horn section, and West African musical traditions, on top of which Fela added funk and other elements. I love the epic, “endless grooves” of his songs, and the great, rousing tunes.
For anyone looking to get into his music, Water No Get Enemy is a great place to start:
There’re also a couple of good compilations like The Two Sides of Fela and The Best of the Black President (both links here are to Tidal). His albums are also on bandcamp now, and here are a couple of good articles about him, the latter having ten recommended songs and a biographical sketch to go along with them.