Fela Kuti

Famed for his rebellious political views just as much as the Afrobeat genre he pioneered, Nigerian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and human rights activist Fela Kuti was arguably one of the most radical musical figures of the 20th Century. Inspired by the Black Power movement of the 60s, Kuti made it his mission to confront the oppressive regime of his homeland during a highly controversial 30-year-career in which he was arrested 200 times, received a ten-year jail sentence and suffered personal tragedy at the hands of the Nigerian government. Kuti's message was strong, but it was undoubtedly strengthened by the equally revolutionary sound which surrounded it, an intensely rhythmic blend of funk, jazz, psychedelic rock and traditional West African chants dubbed Afrobeat. Kuti's music might not have sold in the quantities of his fellow cultural rebel, Bob Marley, but the one million fans who attended his funeral following his AIDS-related death in 1997 proved that few African musicians have made as big an impact.