Instrumentalist and music artist, Ọmọ́rìnmádé Aníkúlápó Kútì, better known as Made Kutii has revealed that his grandfather and Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, died a poor man.
He made the claim while appearing as a guest on the latest episode of the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by actor Taymesan.
Fela, who revolutionized Afrobeats music, died on August 2, 1997, at the age of 58.
Speaking on the legacy of his granddad, Made said even though he made a lot of money during his lifetime, he died broke because he was excessively generous.
“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. 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,” Made said.
The 29-year-old singer went on to say Fela bared his children from calling him “dad’ or ‘father” because he believed “everybody was equal 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 added.
Made Kuti further claimed that “during Fela’s lifetime, he was appreciated more internationally than he was locally.
