Veteran Afrobeat custodian Femi Kuti has firmly distanced himself from the raging online debate comparing his late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, to modern music stars like Wizkid.
Shutting Down the Comparison
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, the Grammy-nominated musician expressed disdain for the controversy, which reignited after Wizkid claimed supremacy over the Afrobeat pioneer during a social media spat with Seun Kuti. Femi insisted that such conversations are unnecessary and that his father’s legacy operates on a completely different level.
He stated:
“Fela is the template musically and artistically in Nigeria. He should be put in a sector of his own and respected.”
He added:
“I wish it never come up. I’m not participating in it,”
Misplaced Priorities
Rather than engaging in celebrity rivalries, Femi pivoted the conversation to the state of the nation. He described it as “shameful” that people are arguing about musical greatness while the country faces deepening crises in governance, security, and poverty the very issues Fela fought against decades ago.
He remarked,
“The government doesn’t even know how to move people positively forward. It’s shameful,”
The Unresolved Struggle
The singer lamented that nearly three decades after his father’s death, Nigeria is still plagued by the same demons of corruption and tribalism that Fela criticized in his music.
He observed:
“For 29 years, he has been gone, yet we are still discussing the same issues,”
Watch the interview here: