Femi Kuti Net Worth 2022, Age, Biography and Career
- Let us discuss Femi Kuti’s Biography in terms of his Age, Career, Education, Early Life, Family, Musics And Net Worth and much more.
Femi Kuti is a Nigerian musician and instrumentalist from London. He began his musical career at the age of 15 in 1979, when he began playing saxophone in Egypt 80, his father’s band. Later on, he formed his own band, Positive Force. Femi is a multi-instrumentalist and Afrobeat legend who has received multiple Grammy nominations. He signed a management contract with Chocolate City Record Label in 2014.
So far in his illustrious career, the musician has achieved a lot. He has produced numerous top-selling Afrobeat songs. This biography will give you more information about the singer.
| Full Name: | Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo-Kuti |
| Stage Name | Femi Kuti |
| Date of Birth: | June 16, 1962 |
| Place of Birth:: | Lagos State |
| State of Origin: | Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Occupation: | Singer and Songwriter |
| Record Label | Positive Force, The Shrine |
| Net Worth: | $1.5 Million |
| Wife/Sponsor: | Funke Kuti |
| Source | Kiwide |
Femi Kuti Biography
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo-Kuti was born in London, UK on June 16, 1962 to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Remilekun Taylor. He was raised in Lagos (the former capital of Nigeria). His mother eventually left his father and took Femi with her until 1977, when Femi decided to return to live with his father. Femi is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and the grandson of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, a political campaigner and women’s rights activist.
When he was 15, he joined Egypt 80, his father’s band. Femi’s father died on August 2, 1997, of AIDs-related complications, and his mother died in 2002, at the age of 60.
Femi Kuti Early Life and Education
Femi left Egypt 80 in 1986 to form his own band, Positive Force. He was joined in the band by his sisters, Yemi and Sola, after he founded it (as the lead dancers). Following that, his band played its first show at the University of Lagos (Unilag). The following year, he began to play in international venues such as the New Morning Club in Paris, the Moers Festival in Germany, and others. In 1989, he released his debut album, No Cause for Alarm, on Polygram Records. Two years later, he released MYOB on Kalakuta Records. Four years later, Femi released his self-titled studio album.
In addition, in 2000, Femi opened The Shrine, where he recorded his first live album. Africa Shrine is the name he gave it. Then, in 2000, he helped to remake his father’s classic song Water No Get Enemy for Red Hot and Riot, a compilation CD honoring his father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Femi is an activist who follows in his father’s footsteps by causing social and political upheaval with his songs.
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Femi Kuti Career
After Fela ran afoul of the government, he stepped in to lead Fela’s Egypt 80 band and run his Shrine club in Lagos in 1984. Kuti presented a reasonable facsimile of his father’s performing style at a Hollywood Bowl concert the following year, after Fela was detained at the Lagos airport on his way to the concert.
However, in 1986, he formed his own band, ‘Positive Force,’ rejecting the position of heir to his father’s band, much to Fela’s chagrin. He was joined by his sisters, Yeni and Sola, who were lead dancers, and gave up cigarettes and marijuana, both of which his father, Fela, heavily indulged in, presenting himself as an independent artist who was different from his father.
His first album, ‘No Cause for Alarm’ in 1989 featured his Jazz-style saxophone which was played and recorded under Polygraph records and brought him fans from France, where he remains popular. This was followed by ‘MYOB’ in 1991 from Kalakuta Records. In 1994 he recorded an album, ‘Femi Kuti’ for the now defunct Motown label.
Femi Kuti toured Europe in 1996 and 1997, and in 1998, he formed a student-oriented political group called M.A.S.S —Movement Against Second Slavery aimed at promoting pan-African culture.
In 1997, his father died of AIDS-related complications, closely followed by his sister Sola, a member of his band ‘Positive Force,’ prompting him to release ’97,’ a song that candidly reflects on this particularly tragic time. In December 1997, only months after his father’s death, he signed a major record label deal with Polygram.
Shoki Shoki, released on the MCA label in the United States in 1999, was his big international breakthrough, attracting the attention of hip-hop and dance remix artists such as Lauryn Hill and Ahmir Thompson of the Roots.
In 2000, he opened ‘The Shrine’, his club, where he recorded the live album ‘Africa Shrine’ and which is the venue for the annual celebration of Fela, Felabration a hangar-like venue named after the nightclub that was founded by his late father in 1970.
Femi Kuti’s attempt to modernize Afrobeat continued on his second MCA album, ‘Fight to Win,’ which was released in late 2001 and featured rappers such as Mos Def and Common, as well as the results of Femi’s effort to incorporate hip-hop into African music. In the same year, he toured the United States with Jane’s Addiction.
In 2008, he re-emerged with his first album in seven years, ‘Day by Day,’ a definitive album that helped to establish Femi as a true original with his own distinct style; it was nominated for two Grammy awards, and he was inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame and was the opening act on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ European Tour in 2012.
In 2013, he released another album ‘No place for my dreams’ which got him another Grammy Award nomination.
On May 15, 2017 Kuti broke the Guinness world record for a single held note on a saxophone – 51 minutes and 35 seconds using the circular breathing technique which involved cycling breath in and out simultaneously.
He collaborated with Nigerian artist, Wiz Kid on the hit track ‘JaiyeJaiye’.
On February 23, 2018, Femi Kuti released his 10th album titled ‘One People, One World’ via his record label, Knitting Records.
He became an ambassador for Amnesty International in 2012. He was a judge on Nigeria’s huge TV show, Nigeria Idol Season 3
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Femi Kuti Discography
Albums
- Femi Kuti (1995, Tabu/Motown)
- Shoki Shoki (1998, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA)
- Fight to Win (2001, Barclay/Polygram/Fontana MCA/Wraase)
- Day by Day (2008, Wrasse Records)
- Africa for Africa (2010 /2011, Wrasse Records / Knitting Factory Records)
- No Place for My Dream (2013, Knitting Factory Records)
Live albums
- Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2004, P-Vine)
- Live at the Shrine (Deluxe Edition DVD) + Africa Shrine (Live CD) (2005, Palm Pictures/Umvd)
Tours
- Le Cabaret Suavage Black Summer Festival, Paris (Afrobeat concert, 2015)
- Garforth Festival Garforth, Leeds (2015)
- The Lantern Bristol, UK 2015
- Band on the Wall Manchester, UK 2015
- Latitude Festival Suffolk UK 2015
- Larmer Tree Festival Salisbury UK 2015
- Walthamstow Garden Party, London, Lloyd Park 2015
Collections
- The Best of Femi Kuti (2004, Umvd/Wraase)
- Femi Kuti The Definitive Collection (2007, Wrasse Records)
Appearances
- “Vampires” (on the album Radio Retaliation by Thievery Corporation) (2008, ESL Music)
- Hope for the Hopeless (2008) Collaboration with Brett Dennen
- Finding Fela (2014) a documentary film directed by Alex Gibney
Compilations
- Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack (2008, IF99)
Other
- No Cause For Alarm? (1989, Polygram)
- M.Y.O.B. (1991, Meodie)
- “Ala Jalkoum” (on the album Rachid Taha Live) (2001, Mondo Melodia)
Femi Kuti Videography
| Year | Title | Album | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The World Is Changing | No Place for my Dreams | N/A |
Femi Kuti Awards and Nomination
- Grammy Awards World Music Album 2014 · No Place for My Dream Nominee
- Grammy Awards World Music Album 2012 · Africa for Africa Nominee
- Grammy Awards BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC Album 2009 – Day By Day Nominee
- Grammy Awards BEST WORLD MUSIC Album 2002 – Fight To Win Nominee
- Guinness World Records 2017 – (Record for a single note held on a saxophone circular breathing for 51 minutes and 35 seconds) Won
Femi Kuti Personal Life
His first name was actually ‘Olufela,’ and he was never christened ‘Femi,’ but his mother changed his name to Femi so he would not be associated with Fela.
In an interview, Femi stated that he hated his father for putting him out there and leaving him to find his way in the music industry without formal training, which inspired him to give his own son ‘Made’ the formal training he never received from his own father.
He has six children from five different women, and he divorced Funke Kuti in 2011.
He is a saxophonist, keyboardist, and trumpeter.
Femi Kuti Social Media
Instagram: @femiakuti
Femi Kuti Net Worth
According to various online sources, Femi Kuti is one of the wealthiest Afrobeat musicians. His net worth is estimated to be in the $1.5 million range.
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