Fela Kuti

I watched the "Music is the Weapon" movie about Fela Kuta last Sunday. It was very interesting. His expression that his original last name, Ransome, was a "slave" name pulled me in. I did not know that Africans recognized European last names as such--and my mother's maiden name is Ransom. I later learned that he had read the Autobiography of Malcolm X, as I had. I remember what a profound effect this book had on me. It is when I first realized that I had power....I have power.

Fela's music was very powerful. The freedom of jazz intermixed with African rhythms intermixed with the power of language. He was an exceptional artist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti