From its inception in the ‘60s, Afrobeat has been as much a political movement as a musical force, emerging from the mind of one man: Fela Kuti. His propulsive blend of funk, jazz, highlife, and Yoruba traditions birthed an irresistible dance music—gritty, humid, horn-drenched affairs that could last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. But Kuti also took inspiration from the Black Panthers, puncturing Nigeria’s military dictatorship in the ‘70s and ‘80s with fiercely satirical lyrics. Today’s Afrobeat artists carry on that tradition, hailing from all corners of the globe and using the genre’s flexible structure to tell their own political truths.