Estate of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Nigerian estate that owns the master recordings of the Afrobeat bandleader Fela Kuti.
- Based in
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Website
- felakuti.com
The Estate of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is the owner of the master recordings of the Nigerian bandleader and Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti. Ownership sits with the Estate; it is not held by a record company. The phonogram credit delivered with the catalogue to digital services reads “Estate of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti under exclusive license to Kalakuta Sunrise Ltd”, a formulation that separates the owner from the licensee.
Femi Kuti, speaking on Channels Television and reported on 18 April 2026, said of the catalogue: “No, we never sold it. So it’s under Fela’s estate, which the family controls, but we licensed the music, so we control it. I don’t know how many more years we have right now, but when the years are done, we’ll take it over and license it again.”
The Estate signed with WME Legends for worldwide management in October 2023. The publishing side has a different history: a business named FKO Music, holding Fela compositions, was reported acquired by BMG Rights Management France in February 2013. Whether that publishing interest is still held by BMG could not be established.