Made Kuti, Nigerian recording artiste and grandson of late Afrobeat creator, claims that his grandfather, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, died a poor man.
Speaking in a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by actor Taymesan, Kuti explained that Fela made a lot of money during his lifetime but 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,” he said.
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“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.”
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Made Kuti also claimed that “during Fela’s lifetime, he was appreciated more internationally than he was locally.”