Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti may have made millions during his lifetime, but according to his grandson, Made Kuti, he passed away without material wealth.
In a recent appearance on the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by Taymesan, Made opened up about the late music legend’s financial reality, blaming it on his selfless and communal lifestyle.
“He was broke. Fela died poor… He had the kind of money that could have bought a whole street, but when he comes back from a show in Kalakuta, he will open a box of money and say anyone who needs it should take it,” Made said.
He explained that Fela maintained an open-door system in his Kalakuta residence, where anyone from the public could walk in and out freely.
“Anybody from the street could walk into Fela’s house. It was an open house policy, anybody could walk in and walk out at any time,” he added.
Made also revealed that Fela discouraged his children from addressing him as “dad” or “father” in order to maintain equality among everyone living in Kalakuta.
“His children were not allowed to call him ‘dad’ or ‘father’ because he didn’t want any preferential treatment for them. Everybody was equal in Kalakuta,” he said.
Reflecting on Fela’s legacy, Made noted that the Afrobeat pioneer received more appreciation outside Nigeria than he did at home.
“During Fela’s lifetime, he was appreciated more internationally than he was locally,” he said.
Fela died on August 2, 1997, at the age of 58.
