Afrobeat royalty, Made Kuti has stirred conversation with a bold personal revelation—he has no interest in activism.
Speaking during an episode of Pulse’s “Breakdown” podcast, the Grammy-nominated artist and torchbearer of the iconic Kuti lineage made it clear that while he reveres his roots, he isn’t picking up the protest baton in the same way his ancestors did.
“My family has already given a lot,” Made said. “I’ve really no interest in activism. I’m happy to be on the right side of history, but not at the cost of the well-being of my family and the people around me.”
Made, son of Femi Kuti, grandson of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and great-grandson of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, comes from Nigeria’s most outspoken family of freedom fighters. From Funmilayo’s anti-colonial battles to Fela’s fearless rebellion against tyranny, the Kuti name is practically engraved on Nigeria’s struggle for justice. Yet, for Made, the cost of that legacy is one he’s unwilling to pay blindly.
“What’s the point of it if all these people couldn’t bring change? You might reflect and just say, ‘Well, what’s the point?’” he mused, revealing a sense of generational fatigue.
Rather than walk the well-worn path of protest, Made advocates for collective movement over individual martyrdom.
“It’s not so much in the power of the individual… It’s the power of the collective. When the right amount of people at the right time do the right thing—that’s what creates the spark.”
Acknowledging the personal toll activism has taken on his family, including Funmilayo’s tragic death after being thrown from a window during a military raid, Made has chosen a different path—one rooted in conscious art and intentional living.
“I want to live my life knowing that I do what I have to do,” he concluded.
Far from apathy, Made’s words reflect a deeper contemplation: Can legacy evolve? For him, change doesn’t have to be loud, radical, or public—it can be measured, personal, and still deeply meaningful. In stepping back from activism, Made may just be carving a new kind of resistance: one that whispers where others shouted, but still calls for truth and transformation.
