Afrobeat singer and grandson of music legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Made Kuti, has offered a rare glimpse into the private life and philosophy of his grandfather—shedding light on Fela’s uncompromising values, his decline in public favour, and the emotional scars carried by his family.
Speaking on the Tea With Tay podcast, Made Kuti didn’t hold back. “Music is one of the worst professions where nepotism can succeed, because it’s brutally honest. If you see me perform and it’s not good, you’ll know. You can’t fake it,” he said, underscoring how Fela never handed out privileges, even to his own children.
According to Made, Fela banned his children from calling him “dad” or using any honorific titles, insisting on equality within the Kalakuta Republic, the communal compound where he lived and worked.
“His children were not allowed to call him dad or father or any kind of honorific because he didn’t want any special treatment for them, because everybody was equal in Kalakuta,” Made said, adding, “he didn’t like that, though. I think they lived it. I believe truly that my father and my auntie need therapy. They watched Fela rise, fall, and die without ever being treated differently.”
Despite Fela’s towering global reputation, Made recounted how public interest in the icon declined in the years leading up to his death.
“By ’96, ’97, people weren’t speaking positively about him anymore. His popularity had faded in the media and public opinion,” he recalled.
But that changed when he died.
“They took him to Tafawa Balewa Square and were told, ‘Nobody’s coming.’ Then millions showed up.
“They carried him back to Kalakuta. It was aired on TV,” Made said, remembering the shocking outpour of love during Fela’s funeral, contrasting the isolation he experienced in his final years.
