Femi Kuti, Grammy-nominated Afrobeat musician and eldest son of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, says his father’s legacy should be honoured, not compared with other artistes.
Speaking from Los Angeles, where Fela is set to receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, Femi said his father stands in a category of his own.
“Fela is our father and all, even the younger artists respect him. The Fela vs Wizkid controversy is not an issue that should be brought up,” Femi said. “Fela is the musical and artistic template in Nigeria… Fela should just be put in a sector of his own and we just idolise and respect him.”
Femi was referring to recent online debates that compared Fela with contemporary Afrobeat stars, especially Wizkid, after a dispute involving his younger brother Seun Kuti and fans of the singer.
“I don’t want to go into Seun and Wizkid’s matter because Seun is my brother and Wizkid is like a son to me. I just wished it didn’t arise,” he added.
Beyond the comparison debate, Femi urged attention to the wider social and political issues that inspired his father’s music, saying many of them remain unresolved decades after Fela first raised them.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938 – 1997) founded Afrobeat in the late 1960s by blending jazz, highlife and traditional African rhythms with lyrics that addressed corruption, inequality and military rule. His work made him a defining figure in Nigerian music and culture.
His influence continues through Felabration, the annual music festival held in his honour, and through generations of artistes who cite his work as inspiration.
