‘Fela Kuti: Fear No Man’ Podcast Revisits Afrobeat Pioneer’s Life and Legacy
Jad Abumrad is hosting a 12-episode series on Fela Kuti, featuring interviews with Barack Obama, Paul McCartney, Ayo Edibiri, Burna Boy, David Byrne, Questlove, Brian Eno, and more.
Host of 'Fela Kuti: Fear No Man' Jad Abumrad says the podcast tries to hold all of Fela’s contradictions at once.
Audible/Higher Ground.
The story of Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti will be revisited in a new podcast series from Peabody Award-winner and Radiolab creator, Jad Abumrad.
The new podcast series, titled Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, will feature 12 episodes that follow the life and legacy of the Afrobeat pioneer. To capture this story, Abumrad conducted more than 200 conversations. He spoke with Kuti’s family, his friends, and the musicians who shared stages with him.
The series also includes new interviews with actress and comedian Ayo Edebiri, musician David Byrne, producer Brian Eno, and artist Santigold. Former U.S. president Barack Obama also appears. The show features archival recordings with Burna Boy, Questlove, and Paul McCartney, among others.
The first episode will be exclusively available on Audible. Weekly episodes will then arrive on all podcast platforms beginning October 15, Kuti’s birthday. The public launch date lines up with Felabration, the annual Lagos festival that celebrates Kuti’s life and music. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the event.
Made Kuti, grandson of the late musician, says Felabration highlights the lasting relevance of his grandfather’s music. “Fela poured his hopes and beliefs out in his raw and unfiltered newly invented genre of music aiming to inspire change in the mindset of so many people,” he says in a press statement, also noting that Fela’s risks led to frequent arrests and that his nation has not improved since his lifetime, though his music continues to inspire.
Abumrad says the podcast tries to hold all of Fela’s contradictions at once. “Fela is a thousand things, and I hope we captured some of that complexity in this series,” he says. “He's a movement builder, a cult leader, a groove weaver. But for me, what makes him so hard to shake is that his life asks a question: when the world is spinning out of control, what's the right response? His weapon was music. And for a moment, that was enough to almost topple a government and create a new world order.”
Trained as a classical musician, Kuti went on to invent Afrobeat, a genre that fused funk, jazz, and west African rhythms. His music soon became more than entertainment. It was a weapon in the fight against military rule and political corruption. The show follows his life, his sound, and the risks he took as an artist who stood against power.
For decades, Kuti’s club known as Afrika Shrine served as the home of his revolution in sound and politics. Artists from around the world traveled there to see and hear him. The Nigerian state responded to his defiance with violence. Soldiers attacked the club, fired into the crowd, and tried to silence him. The podcast revisits these moments and connects them to larger struggles over freedom and expression.
Fear No Man is produced by Talkhouse and Western Sound, and is presented by Audible along with Higher Ground, the media company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. It combines oral history, music journalism, and sound design, and traces Afrobeat’s roots and influence while offering a close look at Kuti as a man and artist. It examines how art can stir rebellion, spark hope, and challenge power. Abumrad’s latest project is set to bring Kuti’s legacy to new audiences at a time when music and politics remain deeply linked.
