October 2, (THEWILL) -Afrobeats singer, Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, has revealed that over the years, the media has deliberately tarnished his image just like they did to his father, Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
During a chat with Chude Jideonwo, on his podcast programme, #WithChude, the singer made this revelation, among others.
To set the records straight, the singer said, “I think it’s deliberate on the part of the media to project me out. It’s the same way they projected my dad, and people thought he wore pants all the time to perform. They kept showing him at one rehearsal at home, where he wore pants. But that was part of a documentary. People thought that was the truth, and they felt Fela was crazy.
“For example, I didn’t start smoking until I was 21 years old. I was in Liverpool, and that was when I knew that peer pressure is the biggest influence in the life of a growing human being.”
He shared his journey into smoking at 21, having spent two decades in the Kalakuta Republic, and urged parents to focus on their kids and their companions, emphasising it as the ultimate gift a parent can give their child.
He said, “Watch your child’s friends, that’s the best gift you can give them. For the 20 years that I lived in Kalakuta Republic, everyone was smoking around me, and I never smoked. After just one year of living with my flatmate, Alex, who was smoking all the time and was my agemate, he initiated me.”
Continuing, he lamented about media articles that incorrectly portrayed him using drugs he had never taken.
“At that time, they had started writing articles about how I was taking all kinds of drugs. I think it’s a way they project people in certain ways that society disregards. It’s a kind of alienation tactic”, he said.
Reflecting on his time in custody following the altercation with a policeman, he said, “Well, my case is in court, so I will not really delve deep into that issue, but I will say this, I don’t believe that protecting my family is a crime. An 8-second video doesn’t explain an incident that happened for about 15 minutes.
He extended his clarification, refuting widespread rumours that claimed he had turned into a pastor during his time in detention.
“What I learned is that anybody could be in that cell. From what I saw in that place, I knew anybody could be in that cell.”
Responding to the story that he prayed in the cell, he said, “I didn’t become a GO in the cell. I don’t pray. I meditate a lot with my ancestors and share my plans and ambitions. It’s just the continual onslaught of the Nigerian media against me that painted it as though I was praying”, he noted.
The singer also shared his experience on the loss of his late parents, Seun revealed that he is yet to come to terms with the loss of his mom, unlike that of his dad. According to him, the reason is that when his dad died, he had time to grieve but never had time to grieve his mom’s loss because he was on a music tour.
He said, “I grieved for my dad because he was the closest person to me, and he was the first person I know that died, so for me, it was a really impactful experience losing my dad; it was like losing my best friend, my dad, and a family member, all in one. I really grieved for a long time. I grieved my dad.
“The one I didn’t grieve for was my mom. I couldn’t. I had a tour. There was no time to break down. If I’m going to share some of my mental issues on this show, it’s like I’m grieving my mom in stages; kind of, I’ve not really had time to really delve into that, but the bad part is past, and I still grieve for her from time to time. I don’t have complete closure for my mom like I do for my dad.”
