Media personality Yeni Kuti has shared a surprising backstory about her late father and Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, revealing that he was admitted into the prestigious Trinity College of Music in London in 1958 out of pity.
Speaking during a recent episode, Yeni explained that Fela, despite his later musical genius, was not academically gifted in his early years and struggled more than his siblings in school. Due to his poor academic performance, their parents initially insisted that he remain in Nigeria, fearing he wouldn’t cope abroad.
“When he was in secondary school, his parents, who were academics, pressured him to study hard. His older brother and sister had already gone abroad for university. But Fela had average grades, while his younger brother was very brilliant,” she said.
However, Fela’s older siblings—eager to have him join them in London—convinced their parents that he had secured admission to study medicine. Once Fela arrived in the UK, they enrolled him in Trinity College of Music, where he was nearly denied entry due to his poor academic credentials.
“When he got to the music school, the admission officer told him, ‘It’s only because you’ve come such a long way that I’m going to admit you with these results,’” Yeni recalled.
“That’s how he got into music school—out of pity. But look at what he became: a legend.”
Despite a rocky start, Fela went on to revolutionize African music, becoming a global icon whose legacy continues to influence generations of artists around the world.
