Afrobeat musician Made Kuti, grandson of legendary icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has shared a perspective of how the late music pioneer was perceived during his lifetime, especially within Nigeria.
In a recent interview, Made revealed that despite Fela’s cultural significance today, he was more appreciated internationally than locally, particularly while he was alive.
“If you look further back during Fela’s lifetime, he was appreciated locally less than internationally,” Made stated.
He recounted how his father, Femi Kuti, struggled under the weight of the family name, as Nigerians once saw the Kuti lineage as controversial and undesirable.
I remember my dad telling us about how he couldn’t even date girls because the fact that he was a Kuti was a major red flag. They looked down on him because at the time, Fela was not seen as someone who was financially successful.
Made explained that Fela’s activism and rebellion against the government earned him not only arrests and harassment but also a strong propaganda campaign aimed at tarnishing his public image.
He was often branded as a weed smoker, womaniser, and generally portrayed as a terrible human being, especially among the Nigerian middle class.
“They managed to sell a strong narrative to the middle class. The propaganda worked for such a long time,” Made explained.
The 28-year-old multi-instrumentalist added that many now assume that his father Femi’s success was handed to him because of Fela’s name, which he strongly objected to.
“Now people see my dad and think his success is because of Fela, whereas it’s in spite of him.”
His comments highlight the complex legacy of Fela Kuti in Nigeria — a man who was once ostracised for his boldness and radical views, but has now become a globally revered symbol of African resistance, creativity, and musical innovation.
Made Kuti, who was recently nominated for a Grammy alongside his father, continues to use his platform to push Afrobeat into new spaces while also defending the nuance and truth of his family’s legacy.
