The youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti and new father Seun Kuti tells City People mag about the limitations his dad's name has brought to his music career....
"I dont believe that being Fela's son has helped my career. Yes I am fela's son. Yes I grew up to love music through him. Most people believe it's easier looking in, when you are out. Everything just seems easier that way. But I keep saying that the fact that I am Fela's son, for me it didn't really help me musically. The fact that I am Fela's son has brought me more stress than good fortune. I believe if I wasn't Fela's son with my amount of talent and what I have been able to achieve, I would have gone far. What people see in Nigeria is 'Hey, he is just like his father. Who is seun? Oh, he is Fela's son' and that is it. They dont bother to look deep into what I am doing. I see them singing high praises of people here that for me, musically, I dont see what they are singing. What I am saying is Yes I am Fela's son but it still took me 10 years to get my record deal after his death.
Me I believe I have paid my dues. There was no Fela's name helping me get anything. My brother, Femi, won that lottery, I have to say. There was already one Kuti out there. It's like that with music families. There is only one person that is pushed by the name. The others have to strive. Being Fela's son, especially when you have a brother that is already out there, will make it difficult for you after him. What that does to you is that they listen, but before they listen, they have already set the standard so high. I am lucky that still with all the talk and comparisons all the time, I am still able to break my own barriers and we are doing our own thing. The band and I, and we have achieved great success. Since the first album, internationally, we have been able to close that chapter of people comparing us. They now know that we are our own force. Right now the band has made more money, played in more places than they ever did under my dad.
79 comments:
oh really...you think say na beans...mtchew
So e has music ??hw cum i havent heard any ? All i knw is dat e is felas son...
Witty sayings bt all I see is still Fela's kind of music init?#justasking#
God bless your hustle more
Yawnsssssss!
How wld u like ur K "fried or boiled?
U r a useless somebody for wah u jst said "nwa oseaka"
bia!!! Seun mind uR speach.. FELA z watchin yhU wif 0ne eyE:::
well well....that being said can we get on now please?. thank u
Really seun....you should even be thankful u are where you are.
Even this interview u had u owe it to Fela.
Be grateful for once
~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310
Wow! I love ur striving spirit Seun. Things will only get better.
oh well then
we all know your the true son
of your father.. Fela Anikulapo Kuti
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I feel wat he z saying sha
That's a surprise to me taught his father fame would make things easier for him
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Le nu e seun! Haha in ur yoruba accent!* lol* y u go say u don go more tours pass ur papa! Ironi joor! Say somtin else!!
If the name was such a bother he should have changed his last name, Nicholas Cage did it and look how great his career turned out. He didn't want people to judge him by his successful family's career, so he didn't bear the family name Coppola and opted for Cage instead. Seun should have done the same thing. Hilary Obiorah
that is house hold name man
My dear Life is turn by turn.dnt b jealous of ur broda ur time will surely comes
true talk seun
Feel ya seun, we all pay our dues one way or the other, rich pop or not.
this guy is sooo annoying who made him a celeb mtcheeeeew
My dear Life is turn by turn.dnt b jealous of ur broda ur time will surely comes
this guy is sooo annoying who made him a celeb mtcheeeeew
Don't get him though!
The rich also cry...
Linda, he may be right or is he trying to make us forget d great fela and c him as him. Either way, fela standard was too high irrespective of wr he has played and etc!
this seun sha,typical fela' son
I don hear u!but be thankful baba fela don make way una
Hmmm. God bless ur hustle more.
I see! If not for ur father I wouldn't have knwn u.
Well these goes to show that hard work really pays.. keep doing ur tin seun, God is ur muscle.
Okies u can still qo farther if u so wish. Its he who wears d shoes dat knows exactly where it pinch.
Wow dis is a gud one
Is becos u re Gay dat is y thins is getting worst in ur side repaint go 2 any pastor they'll pray 4 u, u will blow u no see wizkid or davido I tire 4 u oooh guy noting like humble ur self leave Gay is an evil be 4 God destroy u ooh
Is becos u re Gay dat is y thins is getting worst in ur side repaint go 2 any pastor they'll pray 4 u, u will blow u no see wizkid or davido I tire 4 u oooh guy noting like humble ur self leave Gay is an evil be 4 God destroy u ooh
Is becos u re Gay dat is y thins is getting worst in ur side repaint go 2 any pastor they'll pray 4 u, u will blow u no see wizkid or davido I tire 4 u oooh guy noting like humble ur self leave Gay is an evil be 4 God destroy u ooh
Ok!
Effect of medical marijuana..........next linda post my coment ooooooooooo
Abeg park well jare. Next pls.
Seun..........this your lips black sha!
Is dis dude Ok?
He is saying the truth.
Or mayb u for no dey do music...
C.E.O
Seun no one is to blame but yourself. You look so much like your dad (bar the skin colour of course) and you sang his song always and used his band. Why won't you be compared?
Sibling rivalry...lol. Brovas always gon compete.itz bin dat way since cain n abel,esau n jacob....
Eyaah.. You just need to work hard on ur own!
Seun trust me ur father's name as helped u a lot cos to me u just there u can't compare ursef to Femi his got so much talent
Uhm no....Femi did not win any lottery o! Maybe this boy is to young to remember when Femi was hustling and putting out music initially...but he is.where he is because of hardwork...abi dem dey nominate am.for Grammy because of Fela? Abeg talk what you know and keep Femi name from your mouth.
If you were not Fela's son,you would have been nowhere close to where you are today.
I understand u my frnd. U made sense, dats how I see u, fela's son. There nothing for him 2 sing again
Meaning?u shuld be happy dud,ur dad name has taken u far,most of ur songs u do are remix from ur dad's song.
Eeyah pele..., Omo daddy
On the contrary, you would have been one of the dregs wandering the volatile shanties of Ajegunle. Pray, tell ONE thing of significance you have added to the music industry or any career-path worth the mention? Just one. With the half-soaked education you have, pray, tell what really does your marijuana-clogged mind tell you, you would have amounted to?
Keep telling people that but in your quiet you know better.
U copied ur fada's style nd ur here sayin trash
I totally understand where he is coming from. If he wasn't Fela's son, he could have been a popular celeb on his own like tuface,psquare and the rest of them as no one judges or compares them to thier parents. Seun continue to do you and as you know, haters would always hate and your fans would always Love you. Just wish Nigerians could see the way you sell out venues in Europe and round the world rather than being feed with make believe instagram hype by othe celebrities.
Dude get a profession! Stop commenting just becus u need free 100k. Get a job! U owe ur mom dat
I think ur dad made u who u are
Eyaa I really feel him on this one.
Seun,without fela,s name u will nt gt were u re now,after all u re nt a musician,u copied all his song,so why re u complaining.linda plz nxt topic.
Story!!! With what?
Your band has made more money than your dad because your dad wasnt all about more...hiss..you sound like a loser
Ask someone to read and explain to u....
Don't know what to say.
itz nt realy 2c inside when u out.
Ode oshi who talk gay matter here now ehhhh why can't people just comment reasonably stecheeeeeewww person dey talk wetin dey pain am u open u guter filled mouth dey yarn gay matter
Mbok Jona this gay bill way u sign go cause wahala cause some peeps won't have any thing in their brain to think about but see every other thing as gay
Hahaha. Painment... dude you need to work hard. Femi is a Legend and he worked for it.
According to femi when he was hustling... don't drink and smoke again....
With what, with Ganja? I beg go seat down for Dorty...
With what, with Ganja? I beg go seat down for Dorty...
Do ur work and stop complaining. Never heard any of his songs, just know him because he is Fela's son. Stop using ur fathers name as an excuse.
Na wa for u ☺º°˚˚°ºoo if Fela name no bring ǦƠ̴̴̴̴͡.̮Ơ̴̴͡D̶̲̥̅̊ luck to u the ur stage name then. Abi watin self
I fink he's sayin d truth
Who is dis Guy...cus my dad (fela)did not tell me I had an ungrateful and black mouthed brother
Actually, when I watch Seun performing in videos, I see like somebody trying very much to recreate Fela's way of dancing n performance, so make s everyone to see him more as Fela's son n also as someone trying to represent Fela. So what Seun has to do really is to form his own stage identity n personality as an artiste inst of trying to recreate Fela when he'd in stage. That's what makes Femi more successful as an artiste bcuz he has forged his own unique stage identity, so when u see him perform, u can't relate his performance n dancing to the way Fela did it.
@ swaggs isimemen . Grammar is definitely not your language .lol and you need to pray for high IQ in 2014. Cause your comment does not make any sense.
Hmm owk...wok harder...!ut if not 4 baba fela I wouldn't hav kw u..?
Ok we haf ear....
Abeg which school you go, lmao
Lmao, wtf, which school you go
Your Father, seun who u help , who know you lock up your rubbish song, Fooooooolllllllllllllllllllll
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