Celeb Biographies

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti: biography, age, family, net worth

Published

3 years ago

September 29, 2021

All you need to know about Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti popularly known as Femi Kuti Let’s take a look at his Biography, Nationality, Career, Age, Net worth, Family

ABOUT
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London oand raised in Lagos

EARLY LIFE
Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London to Fela and Remilekun (Remi) Ransome-Kuti (née Taylor; 1961–1985), and grew up in the former Nigerian capital, Lagos. His mother soon left his father, taking Femi to live with her. In 1977, however, Femi chose to move in with his father. Femi started playing the saxophone at the age of 15 and eventually became a member of his father’s band.

EDUCATION
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti attended Baptist Academy Lagos, Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

CAREER/ACTIVISM
Femi Kuti began his musical career playing in his father’s band, Egypt 80. In 1986, Femi started his own band, Positive Force, establishing himself as an artist independent of his father’s legacy. He inherited his father’s zeal for both music and activism. He started playing the saxophone and keyboard with his father’s band when he was 16 and stepped into the spotlight, writing and singing after his father’s demise. Femi remains politically inclined grooving to high energy funk, jazz and traditional African-fueled songs about political corruption, poverty and primitive living conditions suffered by most inhabitants in Nigeria’s oil-rich nation.

He created his own band, Positive Force, in the late 1980s with Dele Sosimi (Gbedu Resurrection), former keyboard player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His international career began in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at the Festival d’Angoulene (France), the New Morning Club in Paris and the Moers Festival in Germany.

In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of US musicians, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright.

Also in 2002, Femi contributed a remake of his father’s classic song “Water No Get Enemy” to Red Hot Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti that was released by the Red Hot Organization and MCA. Femi’s track was created in collaboration with hip-hop and R&B artists D’Angelo, Macy Gray, The Soultronics, Nile Rodgers and Roy Hargrove, and all proceeds from the CD were donated to charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness or fighting the disease.

Femi Kuti’s voice is featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV, where he is the host of radio station IF 99 (International Funk 99, described as “playing a great selection of classics from West Africa, the US and elsewhere”).

In similar fashion as his father, there have been complaints of Kuti’s criticism of his homeland Nigeria, specifically in the song “Sorry Sorry”, along with “What Will Tomorrow Bring” and “97”.

Femi Kuti’s album Africa for Africa emphasized “Bad Government” as a problem in Africa. Before the 2011 elections in Nigeria, he reached out to the people that there was “no difference between the three candidates contesting for the presidential seat in Nigeria”. He added, “we could say we’re moving in the democratic process. And it’s probably better than going to war, but corruption is still very rampant. The people are hungry and sick. And the government controls the media, so it can’t be critical”.

Kuti also said: “It’s a very hypocritical situation. People settle for putting a meal on the table, but they don’t know that the rest of the world doesn’t suffer every day from power outages and water shortage. Nigerians don’t even know about the history of African slavery, because it’s not included in the text books.” He echoed the same

On 19 December 2014 a management deal between Chocolate City Music Group and Femi Kuti was reached. The news was announced via the Chocolate City Music official Instagram account, as well as Audu maikori social media accounts.

sentiments in the 2015 elections by releasing a remix to the song “Politics Na Big Business” featuring 2face Idibia and (Late)Sound Sultan through his management company, Chocolate City.

Kuti’s song “Make We Remember” calls on people to remember the words of his father and “great black people”, who fought for the emancipation of Africa. For a very long time, Femi has been using music to inspire, change and motivate African people.

FAMILY
Femi Kuti was born into Fela and Remilekun Ransome-Kuti’s family. Femi has a lot of siblings which is from his father “Fela Kuti” but not from his mother “Remilekun Ransome-Kuti”

Femi was once married to Funke Kuti, and they had a son together, Made Kuti. Also, Femi is blessed with other children.

PERSONAL LIFE
Femi has made commitments to social and political causes throughout his career. Femi’s grandmother (Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti), was a political campaigner and women’s rights activist. Though Femi is the son of an international icon, he considers his mother, Remilekun Taylor, to be his greatest influence.

ACHIEVEMENT
Femi has been nominated four times (in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013) for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music Album category.

On 22 November 2014, Femi Kuti performed at the BMO event, where he shared the same stage with his new label mate M.I (Jude Abaga).

On 24 April 2015, he performed in the 2 Kings concert alongside his brother Seun Kuti. The concert is significant as it is the first concert that the brothers have performed together.

On 15 May 2017 Femi Anikulapo Kuti was referred to in the Guinness world records under the catalog of a single note held on a sax in a method called circular breathing. He set the records at 51 min 35 seconds.

On 5 February 2021, Femi Kuti and his son, Made Kuti, released their two-album project, Legacy+ under Partisan Records. The project includes Femi’s eleventh album Stop the Hate and Made’s debut album For(e)ward.