There was a time when popular music was inseparable from civil rights and civil unrest. But today, very few popular songs reflect the grievances seen in the streets. 

Fela Kuti is an artist who wasn’t afraid to make protest music. Known as the father of Afrobeat, his music became the soundtrack for social change in his native Nigeria. 

He’s the focus of the new podcast Fela Kuti: Fear No Man created by Jad Abumrad. He tells Sam about the lasting impact of Kuti’s work, his complicated history, and asks… why are musicians today so afraid to get political? 

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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.