Femi Kuti Explains Why He Walked Away From Fela’s Band
Kehinde Adeleye
Renowned Afrobeat musician, Femi Kuti, has opened up on why he left his father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s legendary band, to pursue his own path in music.
The 63-year-old son of the Afrobeat pioneer disclosed this during an appearance on the Afropolitan podcast, where he reflected on his early struggles with identity and independence.
Femi said he felt immense pressure growing up, as many expected him to mirror his father’s life and music.
“Growing up in school, everybody would be like, ‘Aren’t you going to be like your dad or won’t you play music?’ I was pressured to be like my father. If I wanted to play music, I had to be Femi Kuti. I used the same mathematical thought that I cannot be Fela,” he explained.
He recalled how his father’s influence was so overwhelming that he even dressed like him, a situation that made him feel trapped. “I was like mini Fela because he usually dressed me like himself. I just thought I should better look for myself fast, or I was going to be a very unhappy man. So I went back to my mother,” he said.
According to him, starting his own band was not easy, as he faced strong criticism and hostility from fans and the media. “The moment I formed my band, his fan base descended on me. It was very difficult to find a good write-up about me then because the press hated me and at this time, there was no internet for me to defend myself,” Femi said.
He added that staying in his father’s shadow denied him the chance to live his own life. “Being under my father, I didn’t have any possibility of my own life, including having children. I saw my life in his life,” he concluded.
