Seun Kuti: Most artistes use Fela as an excuse to smoke

Seun Kuti, Afrobeat singer and son of late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has said that most artistes who claim to draw inspiration from his father only use him as an excuse to smoke and chase girls.

In an Instagram live interview with Ubi Franklin, a record label owner, he was asked about his opinion on artistes who claim to be inspired by Fela.

To that, Seun Kuti replied: “I think a lot of them grow up in Christian and Muslim homes but use Fela as an excuse to smoke and chase girls.”

The 37-year-old Afrobeat singer also added that majority of those who make such claims are from religious homes but they use his father as a form of excuse.

“And also using Fela as a reason to be reckless and rude to your elders. They are not really rude to the authorities,” he said.

In a recent interview, the Afrobeat musician who took over his father’s Egypt 80 band said that the love Nigerians profess for his late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is only on the surface.

“I think in Nigeria now, there’s a narrative that makes it cool to like Fela. I mean I grew up as Fela’s child so I know that the love does not run deep.”

He added that if the love did run deep, Nigerians would support his family more out of a sense of duty for his late father.

“If it actually did run deep,” Seun said, “I as his son would know. Nigerians would support us more than they do; be more invested in things that we do and out of a sense of duty.

“They would make sure that the originality of what we do is preserved and allowed to grow.”