Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has fired a blunt warning at fans of Nigerian superstar Wizkid, urging them to stop dragging his father’s name into comparisons.
Speaking at a recent show, Seun made it clear he has nothing against Wizkid’s rise.
“I can say Wizkid is the greatest singer in the world. I can say Wizkid is the greatest artiste of all time — it carries weight,” he said.
“But why must you now add ‘more than Fela’?”
The 38-year-old musician expressed frustration over what he sees as a constant pattern of disrespect towards his father’s legacy.
“Every day these clowns keep on doing mistakes, all the time. And I would understand if we were the kind of family that lord our father’s greatness over everybody — no, we don’t,” he added.
Seun stressed that the Kuti family has always remained humble and never tried to impose Fela’s greatness on anyone.
“We don’t even cross our lane, but they always cross our lane, just to drag this man down. Leave my father, let him rest,” he said.
He also compared the situation to other countries, saying cultural icons abroad are never unfairly dragged into modern comparisons.
“Go to Jamaica, they have created many new stars, but you will never hear anybody say this one is the new Bob Marley,” Seun said.
“Go to South Africa, you will not see them doing it to Yvonne Chaka Chaka. Go to America, you will never see them doing it to James Brown or Aretha Franklin.”
Seun concluded by recognising Wizkid’s achievements, but insisted there is no need to diminish Fela.
“If you want Wizkid to be great, he is the greatest. I agree. Just leave my father alone,” he said.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who died in 1997, remains one of Africa’s most influential musicians and political activists, while Wizkid has firmly established himself as one of Nigeria’s biggest global music exports.
