Renowned Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti, eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, has revealed that he left his father’s band to carve out his own identity, likening his early years in the band to being “Mini Fela.”
Speaking on the Afropolitan podcast, the 63-year-old artist explained he felt immense pressure from an early age to mirror his father. “I had no possibility of my own life,” he said, recalling how he was often dressed like Fela and referred to as “Mini Fela.” He eventually chose to return to live with his mother in order to break free and establish his own path.
Femi Kuti also told how, after forming his own band, he became the target of his father’s fan base and the press—then devoid of internet—to criticise him. “It was very difficult to find a good write-up about me,” he noted. He added that his struggle for recognition extended to personal life, stating, “Being under my father, I didn’t have any possibility of my own life, including having children. I saw my life in his life.”
