Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti has spoken about the pressure he faced growing up in the shadow of his father, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
In an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast, the 63-year-old said he began facing expectations from childhood.
“Growing up in school, everybody would be like ‘Are you not going to be like your father? When are you going to be like your father? Will you not play music?’ The pressure was that you must be like your father,” he said.
According to him, he initially embraced his father’s image. “This was probably the happiest time of my life. The freedom was incredible. He used to dress me like himself. I was like mini Fela.”
Femi recalled leading Fela’s Egypt 80 band for two years while his father was jailed during Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime. The experience gave him crucial knowledge but also a realisation.
“I just thought I would better look for myself fast, or else I am going to be a very unhappy man,” he said.
Femi said he formed his own band and returned to live with his mother. His decision to leave his father’s band and reject a US tour offer despite promises of tripled salary attracted backlash.
“One was that I left back to my mother. I formed my band, and his fan base descended on me. The press hated me. It was very difficult to find a good write-up about me. There was no internet at this time, so I could not defend myself,” he added.
“Being under my father, I did not have any possibility of my life, including having children. I saw my life in his life.”
The singer revealed that Fela did not speak to him for six years after his exit in 1986.
Born in London on June 16, 1962, Femi is the eldest son of Fela and grandson of women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
He started his career with Egypt 80 before forming his band Positive Force in the late 1980s. Over the years, he has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and continues to use his music to speak against corruption and bad governance in Nigeria.
His latest album Journey Through Life, released in April 2025, focuses on self-reflection while retaining his father’s activist spirit.
