The father of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, spun endless trance-and-dance grooves from the influences of James Brown and African syncopation. The continent’s most popular musician was also confrontational when he emerged in the ’70s—a thorn underfoot of Nigeria’s corrupt military rulers, a sexist and polygamist, a disciplined bandleader with an undisciplined life. All these strands are caught in Alex Gibney’s documentary, woven around the production of Fela!, a rhythmic Broadway spectacle based on the musician’s life.
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