Afrobeat star and grandson of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Made Kuti, has opened up about the music legend’s personal struggles, revealing that despite his towering global influence, Fela died a poor man.
“He was broke. Fela died poor,” Made said during an emotional interview on the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by Taymesan. “He made the kind of money that could have bought a whole street. But when he came back from shows, he’d open a box of cash and say, ‘Anybody that needs, take.’ His house was an open house. Anybody could walk in.”
The young musician, a Grammy-nominated artist himself, emphasized that Fela’s generosity and fight for justice often came at a financial cost. Rather than hoarding wealth, Fela used his platform, art, and resources to support people and challenge oppressive systems.
Made acknowledged the privilege of carrying the Kuti name but pointed out that true artistry is often born from hardship: “I would never say or deny the fact that I, as a Kuti, have opened a lot of doors for myself in the industry. A lot of musicians who discovered and pioneered original music didn’t come from privileged backgrounds,” he said.
Drawing connections between music and pain, he explained how Fela turned trauma into powerful protest anthems: “Punk, blues, jazz, rock music, even hip-hop, they came from struggle. People used art to evoke the trauma they were experiencing. Fela did that. Every time he was beaten, every time he was jailed, he came back with a stronger song. After they beat him, came Zombie, Suffering and Smiling. That was how he dealt with pain. That was his weapon.”
