We Never Sold Fela's Catalogue - Femi Kuti Reveals

Veteran musician Femi Kuti, has opened up on his family's decision to protect the legacy of their father and Afrobeats pioneer, Fela Kuti, by refusing to sell his catalogue, despite his death.

Speaking in a recent interview with Channels Television, Femi Kuti disclosed that the entire catalogue of the late Fela is under his family's control, however, his music has been temporarily licensed to a foreign company for sometime.

The first son of Fela further said that their older sister, Yeni Kuti, is largely against the idea of selling their father's catalogue, positing that his legacy must be preserved, which the whole family unanimously agreed to.

Femi Kuti also stressed that the plan of the family to continuously protect their father's legacy should continue among their children.

“We never sold Fela’s catalogue. It is under Fela’s estate controlled by the family. But we licensed the music.

“So, we control it. I don’t know how many years we have left but when it is done, we will take it over and license it again."

“My elder sister, Yeni Kuti, strongly opposed selling Fela’s catalogue. She is like the caretaker. And we give her the honour as the eldest among us. It doesn’t mean that the rest of us don’t have a say, of course.

“But she is very protective of Fela’s legacy so she insisted we don’t sell it. I saw her view immediately and we all agreed. If we had sold it, no royalty would be coming to the family."