Do we like Femi Kuti?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record and a good, public stance on gay rights, but the charity side is thin in what we could verify.
Femi Kuti is the eldest son of Fela Kuti, the man who invented Afrobeat and spent his life taking on Nigeria's rulers. Femi started out in his dad's band, then left in 1986 to form his own group, Positive Force. He calls that the most important decision of his life.
Stepping out of a giant's shadow shaped his sound. In the early 2000s his music turned more political, and he has said the trumpet felt like a weapon to him, since he couldn't pick up a gun. He also argues that corrupt government isn't only an African problem.
On the harm test, the standout is a 2014 piece on OkayAfrica written after Nigeria passed its anti-gay law. He called the law a distraction from problems like poverty, and said choosing your sexuality between consenting adults is a human right. He told the gay community to keep fighting, which is a big call from a Nigerian star in that climate.
He isn't perfect on the tone: he said Fela may have had reservations about homosexuality itself, but would still have defended basic rights. That's one old, honest comment, not a pattern. We found nothing from him on trans people, vaccines or climate either way, so that's a gap, not a tick.
Recent news is quiet. In April 2026 he said Fela's music catalogue isn't for sale and stays with the family estate, licensed only for set periods. That's a business stoush over legacy, not a scandal.
The good stuff is mostly cultural. In 2000 he and his sister opened the New Afrika Shrine on the site of Fela's old club, and it has copped years of police raids since. We couldn't verify any big charity work, so we won't invent one.