Femi Kuti first son of Afrobeat creator Fela Anikulapo Kuti has told of how his dad wrote him off for trying to create his own unique brand of the genre.
He revealed that his dad turned was harshest critic, but Femi Kuti was undeterred; he was so determined to carry on since he had nothing but music to fall back on.
” I was in the storm, and nobody wanted my point of view. I decided to stay focused because I couldn’t turn back, I’d have rather died, it was better I died trying and I’ve never stopped since then,” said who was speaking in a podcast chat on “Sonically” hosted by Elom Chong.
“The first time my father heard my first album in 1989, he came to the launch and said it was rubbish. He said it to the press and I was so upset he was the last person i expected to come harsh on me. I was like, ‘How dare he say that?’ I was so upset”.
Femi Kuti who plays the sax and keyboards just like his late dad, said things got worse when Fela’s fans turned their backs on him.
“When I left my father, his fanbase completely turned against me. They said, ‘how dare you fight Fela?’, and it wasn’t even a fight,” he said.
“I was just lost; I had no formal education so how was I to become a great musician? I was lost and crying inside and they didn’t understand.
“They thought I was protesting against him, and my father was an activist and somehow everyone forgot that he was my father.”
However, when Femi saw a measure of success with songs ” No Place for my Dream” and “Mind Your Business,” Fela was proud of his achievements and became supportive.
