Afrobeat singer and activist Seun Kuti has shared insights into his childhood and the unique environment in which he was raised by his legendary father, Fela Kuti.
During a recent Instagram Live session, Seun revealed that Fela often had white women living in their household alongside his many black female companions. He recalled growing up with at least two white women in the house and how it became a normal part of life for him.
“My father had white women in his house. When I was growing up, there were at least two white women living with us. He always had white ones with the black ones,” he said.
Seun emphasized that despite being surrounded by different cultures, Fela remained true to his African roots and never altered himself to impress anyone.
“Instead of Fela wearing a suit and tie so that the white women would see him as fine, the women were the ones who started wearing shrine regalia and African hairstyles. Fela never changed because of them; they changed because of him. He already knew who he was and his love for Africa,” he added.
Seun has always spoken fondly of his father’s influence on his life. In September 2024, during an appearance on the *Zero Conditions* podcast, he likened being Fela’s son to winning the lottery.
“I won the daddy lottery. My father is still my favorite person in the world. He’s my favorite person that I ever met. Even though I only spent 14 years with him, they were 14 awesome years. He was my best friend and everything; he was a cool dad to me.”
Reflecting on his privileged upbringing, Seun admitted that he was pampered as a child and never had to do certain chores.
“You don’t know how spoilt I was growing up. Up till now, I still haven’t done laundry in my life, I still don’t know how to wash anything. I’m not bragging o. When I was going to school, I was sleeping in British Airways and snoring. In my dream, the thought crossed my mind, ‘How will you wash your clothes?’ That thought woke me up like someone slapped me. Then I remembered the washing machine and slept back.”
