Femi Kuti, the eldest son of music icon, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and Crown Prince of Afrobeat music, speaks to JANE KOLADE about growing up as Fela’s son, his music, his background and beliefs.
HOW has life as Fela’s son been?
I keep getting asked the same question, and I keep giving the same answer; I would not even know the difference, since I have never been anyone else’s son, and do not intend to be.
Has it been a plus or a minus, considering that you will always be compared to him?
It depends on which side you look at it from. I don’t see it that way. I loved my father, and I am happy about my life. You could say it’s a minus that it was hard to have close relationships when we were young, when we were introduced to the families, people would say things like, ‘Ehhh! Won fe mu omo Fela wale?’ (he/she wants to bring a Fela offspring home). Then your boyfriend or girlfriend will say don’t come to my house again, because my parents don’t see you as the right kind of person. But that made us, Fela’s kids, stronger. We walk on the streets; the masses see us and love us. Sometimes you are in a taxi, and because you are Fela’s kid, sometimes people take you for free. Others might overcharge you because some will say Omo olowo leleyi, Fela lowo (this is Fela’s son; Fela is rich). For me, however, I would rather just live my life. I don’t have any complaints, as I love my father.
How do you feel when people compare you to him?
I don’t see any basis for comparison. I will give you a brief anecdote. When my father first got me to listen to Jazz, and when I got into it, and understood what Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie were about, I realised that I could not be those guys, knowing that I could never play like them. So I was at a crossroad. It was either I stopped playing music, or continue playing. Having identified that I could not be Dizzy Gillespie, or Charlie Parker, at least I could be Femi Kuti.
That is the same way I have dealt with those who compare me to my father. I can never be Fela, it is not possible. But if I don’t look like him, sound like him, and play like him; you would have to ask my mother who my father is? I loved my father so I have never seen a basis for competition. I have always known that I would have to work ten times harder to live up to the expectations.
There is no competition. He will always be my father, especially because he was a professional to the core. You could not make a mistake on the stage, so you had to be right. If you were not, he would not mince words. I remember showing him my first composition, and he said, “If you are going to compose a song, make sure people can dance to it.”
You perform more abroad than in Nigeria.
Not these days, I perform more at the shrine. I have cut down on my tours a lot.
Could you relate your background to your career success?
Only one thing is responsible; hard work. I did not say because I am Fela’s son, I would use my father as leverage to become what I am. As I earlier said, I quickly identified that I could never be my father. I did not want to be my father. I fought against the resemblance, or copying my father, which at the beginning worked against me, as there were people who did not like the fact that I kicked against it.
There were people who wanted me to just be exactly, or do exactly what my father was doing. Many critics condemned me. Even when I wrote my hit album, Wonder, Wonder, people claimed it was Fela that wrote the album for me. But, luckily for me, after Fela passed on, I had my international hit, Bang, Bang, Bang. At least, nobody could say Fela wrote the song for me.
Since Fela’s demise, some claim that the following of Afrobeat has declined. Do you agree?
That is not true. There is a Fela play, a Fela documentary. Many people have been coming out to say that they have been fanatics of Fela; the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce, Paul McCartney. There are so many people who say that they have been inspired by listening to Fela’s music. In the Nigerian music scene, there is no hip-hop singer that doesn’t say that they listened to Fela. Felabration is getting bigger. That does not even arise at all. There are people who say Fela was a prophet.
Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized. What is your take on that?
Let me put it this way; there are more dangerous things that should be banned, ahead of marijuana, for instance, alcohol. It is worse than Marijuana. If America, and many countries that were against marijuana, are now legalising it, as Africans, shouldn’t we be rethinking it as well? The colonialists, from whom we got the ten year jail sentence, by their law; are now legalising it.
My father used to say that when you ban something, you make the demand more, and the price goes up in the market. When you legalise it, people will quickly realise whether or not it is good for them, and the price will come down in the market. Another instance is, at a certain time my father said that people were taking a certain drug called Gbana, and they were dying.
But it was because it was hidden, my father said that if it were out/ exposed, everybody would know its effects, and shy away from it. When you ban it, you make it very attractive, and young people will go there. It is like saying that people should not watch porn, but when you understand what goes on in them, you will realise that it’s really not a sexual trip at all.
Have you ever used marijuana?
I have used Marijuana. I won’t say I really liked it, but probably because everyone around me was doing it. As I grew older, I didn’t like it, so when I developed the will power to stop, I quit. I didn’t need it to perform. I thought it was even more of a downer for me. I prefer to perform when I’m totally attentive in my mind. With marijuana, sometimes you are paranoid, worried about what the audience is thinking. You really cannot control your thoughts, or lose it.
And then, different people react to it differently. I don’t think my father would agree with my sentiments, were he alive though. And when I used to smoke, I seemed very unfriendly because I was in deep thought all the time. I worry a lot and smoking made me worry ten times more. I could worry about the most inconsequential thing; Marijuana had that kind of negative effect on me. I am not saying it has the same effect on other people. Other people take it, and they are happy, and cool with it. So I don’t see the sense in jailing someone for ten years for taking marijuana. I mean, you should jail people for committing a crime. For instance, alcohol is worse; when you are under the influence, you can beat up your wife, and say stupid things.
Is it true that you no longer believe in marriage?
I never believed in it.
But you were married.
I loved my wife and got carried away. I am happy with the experience. However, we got married for so many reasons at the time. Now, we are great friends,
Does that preclude marriage, meaning you will never get married again?
Yes, again, these are my personal views. I would never influence any of my children not to get married. My eldest son, for instance believes in marriage, and in one man one wife. I would never say good, or bad, or use my life to influence him in any way. I would even support him, if that is what he wants.
Don’t you think that what you grew up seeing are things that you have to do?
Yes, I grew up watching films and all that, but then I grew up with my mother. I was very into love, marriage; but then I moved to Kalakuta, and saw a different side of life with my father. And I weighed my father’s side, and the other side, and I felt that my father had majority of the vote in my mind; even if not a hundred percent. Because I saw many married couple who broke up, and many of the actors, and actresses I was watching could not keep their marriages. But they were acting films in which they tried to influence the world that you had to be married as that was what society expected of you, and all that. Yet the people who were urging me to get married, or even swear me into it were never married themselves; those who are not even allowed to be married because they have made vows, or claim to have given their lives to Christ.
So many things are wrong with the institution, and I’m wondering that the person saying “I pronounce you man and wife” has never been married. So how can a person who never experienced it talk about it, quoting a book well over two thousand years old to me? The film, actors, and everything around me was a failure. Even amongst my friends, their fathers were cheating on their wives, and pretending about it. Even the wives were cheating on their husbands. Everything just seemed upside down. So why would I want to get involved in it? And I asked myself, “Do I like women? Yes. Will I ever be faithful to one woman? No. So why get married? ” So, even before I got married to my wife, she knew I would not be faithful.
If fame hadn’t happened, do you think the marriage would have continued?
I don’t know. The fame got completely beyond me. I had wanted to be famous, and all that, but the album was so huge. Using my father’s life as an example, at the time my father hit stardom, Nigeria could not handle it; having never seen such a phenomenon prior to that. He also could not handle it; he had to grow into it. In America, stardom is an institution, such that they are ready for when the star fails, and when they get back on their feet. If the star gets addicted to drugs, they are ready with rehabs for them. They understand what stardom does to you.
During Fela’s time, Fela was huge; Nigeria was not ready for it, there was no way Nigeria was ready for that kind of stardom. If Fela’s car passed along the street, (he might not even be in it), it would be like the president was passing, and they would be shouting his name. Fela could not just show up on the street, the only peace he ever had in his life was when he was in his room. There were hundreds of people waiting to see him, and the minute he just opened that door, Fela, Fela, Fela, and would only end when he got back into the room. The pressure for a human being was probably too much.
What was it like, living with such a person?
As children, we just acclimatized. It seemed like fun. I am sure that my children don’t understand my stress. It seems like a big party to them, they can’t wait to visit the Shrine. For kids, it is very different, but for mine, they are lucky that they have a father that will be grooming them for it; telling them the truth along the way. I did not have that kind of father. I had to learn along the way, by just watching and listening. But because of my experience, being his son, I can now let my children be. This is why I will not be judgmental with my kids, or say things like “Don’t get married! It’s wrong.” If however, they choose to get married, I will support them, and give them advice on how it can work. As to their careers, if one of my kids wants to be a musician, I would say, you need to practice six hours every day. But I would not be judgmental with respect to their personal lives, and of whom they choose to marry.
Benson Kuti, is he your brother?
No.
How is he related to you?
I don’t know him.
There is another Fela son, by a white woman. Have you met him?
Fela told us he had a child by an Australian in 1964. I met him, and it’s very likely he is Fela’s son because he looks very much like Fela. He is very friendly, and has a dimple like Fela and a black spot Fela had on his face. Funny enough, he doesn’t even want to be known; he only reached out to us because his child wanted to know who his father was. His mother had put him into a foster home, so he had to find out who his mother was, and later on his father. The young man googled who Fela Ransome Kuti was, and on discovering told his father the status of his natural father. That was how they looked for us on Facebook, and got in touch with my sister. When I went to Australia, I paid them a visit, and we have been friends ever since.
Growing up, what kind of relationship did you and your siblings have?
From my mother, we are very close. My brother, Kunle and I got very close after our father’s death. As to the others, Seun and others, we did not start out very close, but now we are. When Seun was younger, he was manipulated, but we are now very close. You could say the family is quite close, but you can’t compare the closeness with one’s mother’s kids to those from one’s father. My elder sister and I are very close, she is only thirteen months older than I am, and we grew up together through thick and thin. I am twelve years older than Kunle, and I am well over twenty years older than Seun. I am old enough to be his father. But the respect and relationship I share with my sister is different. My sister has always been someone I share everything I do with, doing nothing without telling her first. She has Fela’s mentality; I don’t. I look more like Fela, but she has his mind, and has a way of taking global perspective, and give you good advice based on it. She is street smart.
I know that your mum was a black Briton, could that be why you are not a chauvinist?
My mother is black American, Red Indian and English.
Any chances of a reunion with your ex wife?
Not at all, we are friends; that is all. And I have a partner, we stay together, and she understands the fact that it will be very hard for me to be faithful. That does not mean that I am promiscuous, but she understands that my profession does not permit me to do certain things.
For instance, can you imagine a man married to Madonna not wanting men to throw themselves at her? There would be a problem, because they will. First, accept the fact that she is a superstar and men will throw themselves at her, whether you like it or not. So if you want to be jealous, you would probably die of it.
Look at Jay Z married to Beyonce, showing off her sexy body, and think that men will not drool. So the partner will have to find a way to work his/her mind to accommodate being with a much desired partner. The same way she has to understand that fine girls will like me, and they are the ones that make the star tick.
If not, my career would be over. Even the Americans are yet to perfect a means to manage the expression of freedom of the star persona, because the star needs that freedom to express his/her art. This is why they break down. The star needs the freedom to express his/her art, even though they are not drawing, but drawing a bigger picture in the world.
