Fela wouldn’t have been great if he wasn’t from privileged background – Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti Discusses His Father’s Legacy and the Burden of Privilege
Seun Kuti, musician and son of the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, recently shared insights into his father’s rise to prominence, attributing part of Fela’s success to his privileged background. In a conversation with Ada’s Room, Kuti emphasized that Fela’s lineage, particularly as the son of renowned nationalist and activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, afforded him unique advantages in both the music industry and society at large.
Kuti acknowledged his father’s resilience and work ethic but maintained that such attributes were complemented by the privileges conferred by his family background. “In life, nothing comes from nothing,” Kuti stated. “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.”
Despite acknowledging the doors opened by his father’s legacy, Kuti insisted that success still requires significant effort. “I can be a Nepo baby,” he said, referring to the term for individuals benefiting from family connections. “But my father is not on stage playing my sax or writing my songs or touring with me.”
He continued, “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 standards he set. The fact that you are from a great family leads people to expect that same greatness from you.”
Kuti expressed the challenges of navigating expectations in a competitive industry. “Nobody in the professional world wants to be patient with you and watch you grow or invest in you as an artist,” he explained. “They just assume you have greatness in you, and that puts you under a lot of pressure.”
