Why Fela Kuti's "Zombie" Out-Punks Punk

In this pulse-pounding episode of Tape Spaghetti, Blake & Scott dive into defiant, funk-driven world of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.

Born in Nigeria and educated in London, Fela didn’t just create a genre—he sparked a movement. From his genre-defying sound and explosive stage presence, to his role as a relentless political agitator who turned funk and jazz into weapons of resistance, the guys unpack Fela’s larger-than-life persona, his radical commitment to Nigerian identity, and the way he built an entire sonic nation inside his Kalakuta Republic compound.

With a refusal to bend to authority and a demand for justice, Fela conjured the spirit of punk—raw, loud, and uncompromising. This one’s a celebration of music as revolution and the sonic firestarter that was Fela Kuti, so tune in and find out how one man turned funk into a battle cry.