Music artist Made Kuti has revealed that his grandfather, Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, died poor despite earning a fortune during his lifetime.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast hosted by Taymesan, Made explained that Fela’s extreme generosity was the reason he died broke.
“He was broke. Fela died poor… He had the kind of money that could have bought a whole street, but after a show in Kalakuta, he would open a box of money and tell anyone who needed it to take some. Anybody from the street could walk into Fela’s house. It was an open-door policy — people came and went freely,” he said.
Made added that Fela never allowed his children to call him “dad” or “father” because he didn’t want them to receive special treatment. “Everybody was equal in Kalakuta,” he noted.
The singer also claimed that during his lifetime, Fela was more celebrated internationally than he was locally.
