“No Fela Without Funmilayo”: Seun Kuti On Privilege
Musician Seun Kuti has said his late father, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, would not have achieved his legendary status without a privileged background.
Speaking in a recent interview on Ada’s Room, the Grammy-nominated artist argued that being the son of nationalist and activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti gave Fela key advantages in music and society.
“In life, noting comes from nothing. Even my father; Fela cannot be as great as he is if he wasn’t Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s son. If Fela was not born by Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, there would be no Fela. You would never have heard about him,” Seun said.
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He stressed that Fela was still hardworking and resilient despite the privileges, noting that his family is raised to rely on work, not background.
“The good thing about my family is that you have to work. There is no shortcuts to it,” he added.
Seun acknowledged being a “Nepo baby” but said his father’s legacy does not do the work for him. “My father is not on stage playing my sax or writing my songs or touring with me. My father’s name would definitely open doors for me but as soon as you slide in, there is pressure on you to meet the standard he set.”
He explained that coming from a great family creates high expectations. “The fact that you are from a great family, people expect you to have that greatness. Nobody in the professional world wants to be patient with you and watch you grow or invest in you as an artiste. They just assume you have greatness in you and that puts you under a lot of pressure.”
By Abdulbaqi Jibreel Ajao
