In attitude and deeds, the nearly identical image of late legendary Afrobeat artist, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is none other than his last son – Seun Kuti. This is the one child that most closely resembles his father in that freedom-fighting spirit and body (with minor variations of course). Seun Kuti is bold and outspoken without apology, ready to fight for any cause he strongly believes in. And not surprisingly, Seun Kuti followed in the footsteps of his father in the promotion of Afrobeats music at an early age.
In this article, we will briefly highlight the life and deeds of Seun Kuti. The global fame of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and subsequently his first son, Femi, is almost impossible to duplicate. But Seun Kuti has managed to earn a name for himself amongst notable Nigerian music artists and celebrities. And for more reasons than being a renowned Afrobeat artist, as we will elaborate further.
Seun Kuti: His Background
Oluseun Anikulapo-Kuti is the third son and last-born child of late Afrobeat singer of global acclaim, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Seun was born in January 1983. Multiple sources claim that Seun became interested in his father’s music career as early as five years old. Four years later, he joined his father’s band, Egypt 80 as an instrumentalist. Following Fela’s death in 1997, Seun became the leader of the Egypt 80 band.
Under the new name of Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 band, they released their debut album titled ‘Many Things’ in 2008. So far, Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 band have released the following albums:
- From Africa With Fury: Rise (2011)
- A Long Way to the Beginning (2014)
- Struggle Sounds EP (2016)
- Black Times CD & LP (2018)
- Night Dreamer: Direct to Disc Sessions CD & LP (2019)
- Think Africa (2007)
- African Dreams EP (2022)
Seun Kuti also did music collaborations with some other artists. He featured in Calle 13’s song, Todo se mueve’ in their 2010 album titled ‘Entren los que quieran’. Again in 2019, Seun featured in Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna’s second album title ‘85 to Africa’.
Seun Kuti’s Modest Achievements
Seun Kuti has had the honor to perform in renowned events such as the Industry Nite for the first time ever, in 2014. Industry Nite was set up in 2008 as the longest-running Nigerian platform for musical talent discovery. Yet again, the Black Times LP released by Seun Kuti in 2018 received a Grammy nomination in the World Music category. We recall that his older brother, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, also earned a Grammy nomination in the same category some years earlier. However, neither of them won the Grammy award.
Seun Kuti’s Political Activism
Seun Kuti is a well-known political activist and has joined a number of social equity movements and political protests in Nigeria. He also addresses issues of social and political injustice in his songs – something his late father is even better known for.
During the reign of Nigerian ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Seun Kuti joined the Occupy Nigeria movement. This was in protest against the removal of fuel subsidy in January 2012. He also attempted to revive his late father’s disbanded political party namely the Movement of the People in November 2020. However, his plan to register the party with Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission did not work out.
Seun also signed the open letter tagged ‘Artists Against Apartheid’ drafted in support of the Palestinians in 2023, during the renewed Israeli-Palestine conflict.
The Personal Life of Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti is married to his long-time girlfriend and partner, Yetunde George Ademiluyi. In December 2013, they gave birth to a girl named Ifafunmike Adara Anikulapo-Kuti.
Seun Kuti: His Net Worth in 2023
Numerous online sources have given an estimate of Seun Kuti’s total earnings and net worth to be around 5 million US Dollars as of 2023. This makes him one of the richest Afrobeat and Afrobeats-style musicians in Nigeria.
Controversies Surrounding Seun Kuti
As stated earlier, Seun Kuti is a bold and outspoken personality. He is even reputed to be a traditionalist, which was a well-known practice by his late father. He is ready to air his views and challenge others at any time, regardless of whoever the opposing party could be. For this reason, he has been involved in a number of social media and real-life brawls.
In the run-up to the 2023 presidential elections, Seun Kuti and Peter Okoye of the famous Pquare duo engaged in a war of words on social media. Each of them stood in support of different political aspirants and ideologies. But while Seun continued responding aggressively for many weeks, Peter Okoye chose to back off from further confrontation early enough.
Yet again, there was a clash between Seun Kuti and well-known comedian AY Makun. Sometime in May 2023, Seun Kuti had an encounter with a police officer, which was recorded and posted on Instagram. The video showed the moment Seun Kuti slapped the officer for allegedly threatening his life. The case was taken up by the Lagos State Police Command, and the musician was subsequently arrested for assault.
Within that period, AY Makun created an Instagram skit to mimic the moment Seun Kuti clashed with the police officer. This did not go down well with the Afrobeat musician. In the days following his release from prison, Seun Kuti engaged in another war of words with AY Makun. It went as far as Seun giving unprintable names to AY, and insisting the comedian attempted to shame his daughter.
Seun Kuti also openly ridiculed AY Makun when the latter’s house burnt down. This happened not long after Seun’s release from prison. Though AY Makun replied and countered the accusations, the comedian did his utmost best to be less confrontational.
