Femi Kuti, full name Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti is a Nigerian musician born 16th June 1962 in London but raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of the late legedary Afrobeat king, Fela Kuti and the grandchild of a woman activist, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. This article covers Femi Kuti biography and other interesting facts about the iconic Afro beat maestro.
FEMI KUTI BIOGRAPHY
Femi Kuti was raised mainly with his mother after her separation from his father. In 1977, he moved in with his father and began taking his father’s footsteps by learning to play the saxophone at a young age of 15, and he eventually became a member of his father’s band, Egypt 80.
FEMI KUTI MUSIC CAREER Ι FEMI KUTI BIOGRAPHY
In 1986, Femi Kuti developed his band called “Positive Force” through which he began establishing. In the 90s, he was offered a record deal with Motown’s boutique label Tabu.
With this came the release of Femi Kuti’s self titled debut album followed by an extended promotional tour all over Africa and then to Europe in 1996 -1997
However, they Tabu label was dissolved and out went his record deal with it. This might have brought some problems for Femi Kuti, but this was not his most significant concern.
The complications of 1997 was the death of his father, Fela Kuti in 1997 and shortly after that the untimely death of his sister Sola. In his later years, his works “97” reflects this tragic time in his life.
Nonetheless, despite these events, Femi recorded and signed a major label deal with Polygram in December of 1997, only a few months after his father’s death.
MCA which had been there since the beginning of his solo career made most out of his new deal by revamping his old songs and setting the stage for his debut album “Shoki Shoki”, in 1999, which was acclaimed by many publications across Nations including Rolling Stone, the New Yorker, and Vibe.
In 2001, Femi took his music to greater heights through the featuring of many US musicians such as Mos Def, Jaguar Wright in his album “Fight To Win”.
In 2002, Femi’s mother, his single most significant support in his life died at the age of 60. Also in 2002, Femi alongside the Red Hot Organization and MCA, remade his father’s album “Water No Get Enemy” to Red, Hot, and Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to Fela Kuti. The album saw the likes of Macy Gray, Roy Halgrove, Nile Rodgers, D’Angelo and the soultronic some of its featured artists.
Femi Kuti’s voice is featured in the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” where he is the host of radio station IF(99).
After 7 years, he re-emerged in 2008 with an album “Day by Day,” to which he became established as a true original.
Amidst this, he was nominated for a Grammy Award. Alongside his album was his release in 2011,”Africa for Africa” which was a mix of the new and classical mix, which also was nominated for an award. In 2012, he gained entry as one of the Prestigious individuals on the Headies Hall of Fame and became an ambassador for amnesty international.
In 2013, he made an all-new singles album “No place for my dream” which was also nominated for a Grammy.
ENTRY INTO GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS
On the 15th of May, 2017 Femi Kuti broke Guinness world record for holding a single note on a saxophone for 51 minutes and 35 seconds – via the technique of circular breathing.
FEMI KUTI PERSONAL LIFE Ι FEMI KUTI BIOGRAPHY
Femi Kuti was once married to Funke but they are now divorced. They have a son whose name is Made. However, Femi has eight other children from different women of which three are adopted.
FEMI KUTI AWARDS Ι FEMI KUTI BIOGRAPHY
Femi Kuti has had an outstanding career in music receiving so many awards and nominations. However, the most notable of these are;
- Best Selling artist in Africa – World Music Awards 2000
- Hall of Fame – The Headies 2012
- Best World Music Album (Nomination)- Grammy Awards 2010 – 2014
FEMI KUTI NET WORTH 2021
Femi Kuti is one of the most successful artists coming out of Africa and he is estimated to be worth about $12 million.
https://youtu.be/CKpTYLQ5K9w