Afrobeats singer, Femi Kuti has shared that his late father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, faced poverty even when his music was already gaining attention.
The Next Edition reports that in an interview with the Afropolitan, Femi recalled that during the period when Fela’s first major hit, Jeun Ko Ku, was widely played, the family still struggled to afford basic needs.
The Grammy-nominated artiste said the family lived on Agege Motor Road before the Kalakuta Republic era, and despite Fela’s rising fame, life at home was very difficult.
He explained that his father could not provide enough food for his children at the time.
He 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.”
In other news, Femi Kuti has shared the challenges he faced in building his own identity in music.
The singer, while speaking on the Afropolitan Podcast, revealed that from an early age, people constantly compared him to his father, legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and expected him to follow in Fela’s footsteps.
