From his last name, you wonder if Seun Kuti is the son of the legendary late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti. Well, it turns out that he’s indeed Fela’s son.
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But apart from being Fela’s son, what else is Seun Kuti? In this article, we share with you some of the interesting things you should know about Seun Kuti.
Seun Kuti Biography
Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti was born on the 11th of Januray 1983 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the youngest son of the late legendary revolutionist singer, Fela Kuti, who is regarded as Fela’s anointed successor.
Seun is also the grandson of the political campaigner, women’s rights activist, and the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. The singer’s mother is Fehintola Anikulapo Kuti, who is one of Fela’s ex-wives and was married to the singer between 1978 to 1986, and the marriage was blessed with two children—Seun & Motunrayo Kuti.
Seun studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and at 19, the singer went off to England to study popular music and sound technology, just like his father.
Today, Seun Kuti is married to his wife, chef Yetunde George Ademiluyi, and in 2020, the couple celebrated 15 years of friendship. To mark their anniversary, the singer’s wife gifted him a PS5 in 2020.
The couple also welcomed their first child, Ifafunmike Adara Anikulapo-Kuti, on December 16th, 2013.
In 2013, through a Facebook post, the Nigerian singer announced that he was fully an atheist, not an adherent of the “imported religion.” He wrote saying:
“The only religion in Africa with a unified doctrine is the Traditional African Religion, yet it is evil. The imported religion does not even accept among themselves what their god says to do or doesn’t do, and they’re the good guys. I am happy I am an atheist.”
On Tuesday, 16th May 2023, Seun Kuti was arraigned in court for allegedly assaulting a police officer. This was followed by a video that surfaced online during the weekend that saw Seun being confrontational with an unarmed policeman on a busy Lagos highway.
In a tweet, Seun Kuti claimed that the officer had tried to harm him and his family without giving details of the alleged plot.
The Nigerian police filed a case against him, requesting the court grant them access to detain him for 21 days. However, according to Seun Kuti’s lawyer, Femi Falana, the court gave the NPF 48 hours to grant his bail.
On Monday, Seun Kuti turned himself in after Nigeria’s national police chief ordered his arrest. According to Nigerian laws, Seun Kuti could be facing a 3-year jail term if found guilty of assaulting a police officer.
Seun Kuti Career
Seun picked an interest in music at age 5, and at age 9, he shared his love for music with his father and asked to sing with him. His father enrolled him as a member of his band, Egypt 80, and it was while within the band that he started showing off his musical power and his expertise with the saxophone.
When Seun was 14 years old, his father, Fela, died, and suddenly, the responsibility of managing the band fell on young Seun since his elder brother, Femi Kuti, refused the role. Seun took over, led the band, and went on tours across the globe.
In 2008, the Nigerian Musician Seun released a debut alum titled, Many Things, and the collection was critically praised. In 2010, he appeared in Calle 13’s song, Todo se Mueve (Everything Moves) on their Entren Los Que Quieran album.
Currently, Seun is signed under the record label, The Knitting Factory, and still works with some producers his father once worked with. Some of the songs in his discography include:
- Rise
- A Long Way To The Beginning
- Think Africa
- Mr. Big Thief
- Slave Masters
Some of his studio albums include
- Many Things
- From Africa With Fury: Rise
- A Long Way To the Beginning
- Struggle Sounds
- Black Times
- Night Dreamer Direct to Disc Sessions
The singer’s musical efforts have gotten him awards like:
- 2018 Grammy nominations in the Best World Music Album category
Seun Kuti Cars
There is no public knowledge of the cars Seun Kuti owns, as he doesn’t share pictures of them on his social media page. However, with his net worth, the singer can afford cars like:
- 2018 Toyota RAV4
- 2017 Mercedes G-class
- 2020 Hyundai Elantra
- 2017 Mercedes GLE
Seun Kuti’s Net Worth
Seun Kuti’s primary source of income is music, and through music, he has amassed a lot of wealth, which is estimated between $1 and $5 million.
