Introduction Fela Kuti is a Nigerian musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist also known as the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre back in the 1950s-1980s. Kuti’s contribution to African music is often compared to Bob Marley’s contribution to reggae: they were both spiritual leaders, visionaries, and prophets of their genre. Kuti created the Afrobeat sound that has not only made it to the 21st century but also helped to develop all contemporary forms of Black music, from funk to electronic. Not only was he prolific with a discography of more than 60 albums but also an ardent political activist who was fighting against political corruption. For his political and social activism, Fela Kuti even received the informal title of “Black president” in his home country. “Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon” is an essential documentary for anyone who would like to understand the musician’s life, vision, and legacy. Shot in Lagos, Nigeria, at the peak of Kuti’s career, the film contains a series of heartfelt, sincere, and courageous interviews with the pioneer of the Afrobeat genre. This paper reviews the documentary and explains Fela Kuti’s contribution in the context of diverse traditional African music. The Legacy of Fela Kuti Since the 1980s, Fela Kuti has served as an inspiration for several films and even a Broadway play. However, nothing provides an experience as raw, arresting, and intimate as music Is the Weapon shot by two French directors Jean-Jacques Flori and Stéphane Tchalgadjieff in 1982. Not only did they have a chance to be with the musician instead of exploring his life retrospectively: they accompanied him during one of the most essential and formative experiences of his life. In the late 1960s, Kuti visited Los Angeles, where he found congenial activists and became radicalized by the American Black Power movement (Ogbar 87). That was when his political views crystallized: he believed in the importance of fighting European imperialism and reviving African artistic and religious traditions (Ajayi 46). Shortly after his return to Lagos, Kuti founded a commune and a political party with a promise to become the next Nigerian president (Drewett 196). The musician never made good on that pledge; in actuality, he spent years persecuted and having confrontations with the authorities. The question arises as to what in Kuti’s upbringing and background compelled him to express himself through music and political work. The musician was born into an influential family where both of his parents were politically and socially opinionated. His father was a school headmaster and Protestant minister, and his mother was at the forefront of the fight for women’s rights in Africa (Collins 100). Initially, Kuti was sent to London to study medicine like his brother, but his love for music prevailed. Soon the musician enrolled in the Trinity College of Music, where the trumpet was his preferred instrument (Collins 152). In the years to follow, Kuti returned to West Africa, lived in Ghana and Nigeria, and invented a new musical direction that he called afrobeat. Music Is the Weapon showcases the contrasts that are integral to the city of Lagos. The documentary pays