Femi Kuti, the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has opened up on why he decided to leave his father’s famous band. He made this revelation while speaking on the Afropolitan podcast.

According to Femi, he felt the need to leave in order to find his own path in life. Growing up, people constantly compared him to his father and expected him to take the same direction in music. This pressure made him feel trapped.

He explained that even when he tried to play music, people only wanted him to be a copy of his father. He recalled how he dressed exactly like Fela at one point since he was living with him.

But deep down, he realized he needed to create his own identity to avoid being unhappy. Eventually, he moved back to live with his mother.

When he finally formed his own band, he faced harsh criticism. His father’s fans turned against him, and the media was not supportive.

Since there was no internet at that time, he had no way to defend himself or explain his choices to the public.

Femi further shared that staying under Fela’s shadow made it impossible for him to live freely. Even the idea of having his own family and children felt impossible.

He said his life was being swallowed by his father’s, and that was when he knew he had to break away.