Breaking away to find his own path
Femi Kuti, the legendary Afrobeat star and son of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, recently shared why he decided to leave his father’s band. Speaking on the Afropolitan podcast, Femi revealed that growing up under his father’s shadow left him feeling like he had no personal freedom.
“I didn’t have any possibility of my life”
He explained the pressure of living up to his father’s legacy:
“At school, everyone expected me to be just like Fela or to play music. I felt I had to be Femi Kuti if I wanted to do anything at all.”
Wearing the same style as his dad and being called “mini Fela” made him feel trapped. Eventually, he realized:
“I better find myself fast or I’ll be a very unhappy man.”
That led him to move back with his mother and start his own band, carving out his unique identity.
Challenges of stepping out on his own
Starting his own band wasn’t easy. Femi said his father’s fan base didn’t always welcome him, and the press was tough, with no internet for him to defend himself. More than that, he felt he had no chance to live his own life fully, even personally:
“Being under my father, I didn’t have any possibility of my own life, including having children.”
At 63, Femi’s story is a powerful reminder of the struggle behind forging an individual path—even when you’re the son of a legend.
