Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

About Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

In a world that’s on fire, what is the role of art? What can music actually…do? Can a song save a life? Change a law? Topple a president? Get you killed? In Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Jad Abumrad—creator of Radiolab, More Perfect, and Dolly Parton's America—tells the story of one of the great political awakenings in music: how a classically trained 'colonial boy' traveled to America, in search of Africa, only to return to Nigeria and transform his sound into a battering ram against the state—creating a new musical language of resistance called Afrobeat. For years, the world’s biggest stars made pilgrimages to Nigeria to experience Fela’s Shrine, the epicenter of his musical revolution. But when the mix of art and activism got too hot, the state pulled out its guns, and literally opened fire. Fela Kuti: Fear No Man is an uncategorizable mix of oral history, musicology, deep dive journalism, and cutting edge sound design that takes listeners deep inside Fela’s life, music, and legacy. Drawing from over 200 interviews with Fela Kuti’s family, friends, as well as scholars, activists, and luminaries like Burna Boy, Paul McCartney, Questlove, Santigold, and former President Barack Obama (just to name a few), Fela Kuti: Fear No Man journeys deep into the soul of Afrobeat to explore the transformative power of art and the role artists can play in this current moment of global unrest. An Audible Original presented by Audible and Higher Ground. Produced by Western Sound and Talkhouse. ©2025 Higher Ground, LLC (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.

Publisher

Higher Ground

Category

music · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

7 Oct 2025

Latest episode

18 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

8 of 15 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   18 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

   Malcolm Gladwell and former President Barack Obama explore America's unfinished Reconstruction promise and its enduring relevance.

2. 

   30 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   13: African Counterpoint

   On the occasion of Fela's Lifetime Achievement Grammy, Jad is back to put his musical legacy in a very different context, with the help of Michael Veal, David Byrne and Brian Eno. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3. 

   17 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   12: Bloodline Covers

   Is Fela’s music actually a weapon of the future? What does his legacy tell us about the real power of art and the artist? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4. 

   10 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   11: Endless Returns

   Thirty years after Fela’s death, Nigeria erupts — and Fela is again at the center of it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5. 

   3 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   10: Death in His Pouch

   Fela told his followers that he could never die. So what happens when the unthinkable finally happens? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6. 

   19 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   9: Things Will Collide

   After "Zombie," the military can no longer abide by Fela and his followers. A global celebration of Nigeria’s Pan-African ambitions turns into a brutal raid, torture and death, with thousands of people watching. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7. 

   12 Nov 2025

   8: Zombie

   In January, 1976, Fela drops his most fiery, confrontational song – “Zombie” is a blistering attack on the army, soldiers, and everyone who “just follows orders” to protect those in power. The song inspires ordinary Nigerians to stand up against tyranny wherever they see it — from traffic cops on the beat to the powerful general / head-of-state. And the response from the government — and its army — is almost immediate. Plus, an unreleased cover of “Zombie” from Santigold. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8. 

   12 Nov 2025

   7: Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense

   As Fela’s campaign against the state begins to take form, three young lieutenants rise up to lead his political charge. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9. 

   5 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   6: The Queens

   According to some, the key to Afrobeat was its women. And one of the keys to understanding this “very complicated” man is how Fela both liberated and oppressed the women closest to him, depending on who you ask. Audio clip of Ayo Edebiri courtesy of Sundance Institute. Used by Permission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10. 

    29 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

    5: Trickster Makes the World

    Fela was known almost as much for his hijinx as he was for his music. He took aim at the powers-that-be and, over and over, paid for it in blood. And yet, every provocation served as creative inspiration. Audio clip of Konkombe courtesy Harcourt Films Ltd. Lijadu Sisters appear courtesy of Secretly Publishing and Numero Group. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11. 

    22 Oct 2025

    4: Vengeance of the Vagina Head

    Origin story part 2. The “ideological genealogy” of Fela’s revolution actually extends back farther than 1969. Fela’s began twenty years earlier, when he was an 8 year old boy watching his mom make history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12. 

    22 Oct 2025

    3: Enter the Shrine

    Fela’s club, The Shrine, was an oasis of freedom amidst a brutal dictatorship. Once inside – and on the dancefloor – the music intoxicated, enraptured and, ultimately, inspired resistance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13. 

    15 Oct 2025

    2: Becoming Fela

    Every superhero – and superstar – has an origin story. For Fela, it happened in 1969 Los Angeles, where a potent mix of music and politics turned a “missionary boy” into a Pan-Africanist freedom fighter and ignited a musical firestorm. Voice of America audio clips courtesy of voanews.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14. 

    15 Oct 2025

    1: To Hell and Back

    Fela’s music had the power to move hearts, change minds, and in the case of one man, heal the deepest wounds. Audio clip of Ayo Edebiri courtesy of Sundance Institute. Used by Permission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15. 

    7 Oct 2025

    Introducing Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

    Follow Fela Kuti: Fear No Man on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Inside a recent episode

Introducing Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise

Published 18 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] A time when some of the country's most powerful people actually embraced the goal of creating a multiracial democracy. And when huge numbers of white Americans refused to accept this new reality. A time when political violence was an everyday part of life, and when people who challenged the status quo were publicly beaten and killed with impunity. A time when a powerful political movement worked to limit American citizenship to white men, and when newly free Black people nonetheless kept claiming their rights in a changing America. A time known as Reconstruction. Reconstruction took place in the decade following the end of the Civil War in 1865, though it didn't have a formal endpoint. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

956 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

782 ratings

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