By Fasuyi Tolulope Samuel
Afrobeat singer and grandson of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Made Kuti, has revealed that despite his grandfather’s iconic status, he died broke.
Speaking on the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by Taymesan, Made shed light on the stark contrast between Fela’s fame and his financial reality.
“He was broke. Fela died poor,” Made stated. “He made the kind of money that could have bought a whole street. But when he came back from shows, he’d open a box of cash and say, ‘Anybody that needs, take.’ His house was an open house. Anybody could walk in.”
According to Made, Fela’s generosity and communal lifestyle meant wealth never stayed. He described Kalakuta Republic—Fela’s home and musical hub—as a place of total equality where even his children received no special treatment.
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“His children were not allowed to call him dad or father or any kind of honorific because he didn’t want any special treatment for them. Everybody was equal in Kalakuta,” he recalled.
“I believe truly that my father and my auntie need therapy. They watched Fela rise, fall, and die without ever being treated differently.”
Despite being a Kuti, Made admitted the name opened doors, but he emphasized that talent still speaks louder than heritage.
“Music is one of the worst professions where nepotism can succeed, because it’s brutally honest. If you see me perform and it’s not good, you’ll know. You can’t fake it,” he said.
Made also highlighted how Fela turned pain into powerful protest music. “Every time he was beaten, every time he was jailed, he came back with a stronger song. After they beat him came Zombie, Suffering and Smiling. That was how he dealt with pain. That was his weapon.”
Towards the end of his life, Made said Fela’s popularity had waned in Nigeria.“By ’96, ’97, people weren’t speaking positively about him anymore,” he said. “They took him to Tafawa Balewa Square and were told, ‘Nobody’s coming.’ Then millions showed up. They carried him back to Kalakuta. It was aired on TV.”
Fela passed away on August 2, 1997. Though he died with little materially, his legacy remains deeply influential around the world.
