Femi Kuti has revealed that his father, Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, lived in deep poverty even after his first hit “Jeun Ko Ku” gained popularity.
He said Fela struggled to feed his children.
Afrobeat star Femi Kuti has opened up about the struggles his late father, legendary musician Fela Kuti, faced despite his rise to fame.
Femi, a Grammy-nominated artist, disclosed that when Fela’s first hit, “Jeun Ko Ku”, became widely popular, the family was still living in poverty. He recalled that his father could barely provide food for his children at the time.
Speaking in an interview with Afropolitan, Femi said: “Fela was very poor. He couldn’t even afford food for us his kids. I mean, really really poor. Then we were living at No. 14A Agege Motor Road, this was all before Kalakuta.
Every music story was playing Fela’s first Afrobeats hit ‘Jeun Ko Ku.’ I think he too was surprised at the reception he got.”
Femi’s revelation aligns with earlier comments made by his son, Made Kuti, who stated that his grandfather died poor. Made explained that although Fela made significant money during his career, he ended up broke because of his extreme generosity.
