Fela Kuti, "The Best of Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon" (Wrasse Records) Femi Kuti, “Live at the Shrine” (Palm Pictures, UWE, Mk2 Music)

"The Best of Fela Kuti" is a snapshot of the late Nigerian tribal funk-master in his prime. There are 2 CDs and DVD full of the scathing 12- and 13-minute lyrical diatribes against the Nigerian government that earned him the nickname the "Black President."

The tracks showcase some of Fela's best unending grooves in the genre he birthed called "Afro Beat." Fela floats above cycling guitar licks, pulsating drum beats and call-and-response vocal themes with his syncopated phrases and poignant saxophone solos. Occasionally he taps out melody line on the organ.

His suspicion of religion is featured on "Shuffering and Shmiling," and his ever-present passion for the survival of his people is represented by "Sorrow Tears and Blood."

The "Music is the Weapon" DVD, released in 1982, chronicles Fela's life from his early education in London, to his constant skirmishes with government forces. It shows him holding interviews nearly naked and portrays his independent "Kalakuta Republic" where he maintained, at one point, 27 wives. (He died in 1997 of AIDS.)