Femi Kuti refuses to attend the Grammys

Nigerian Afrobeat star, Femi Kuti, who has been nominated in the World Music category, will not be attending the Grammy Awards scheduled for Sunday in Los Angeles rather, he will be ensconced in the New Afrika Shrine, Agidingbi, Lagos, performing for his throng of devotees and fans .

According to his 49-year-old singer and band lead dancer, Yeni Kuti, the Afrobeat star does not see any reason to attend because of his earlier experience.

In her words, “his argument is that he cannot travel all the way to Los Angeles and come back empty handed” Those who know the singer are not entirely surprised at his decision to shun the 54th edition of the Grammy Awards since he shunned Last year’s too.

Femi, who is taking a third shot at the coveted awards, has been twice unlucky in 2003 and 2010. His first outing at the awards in 2003 left a bitter taste in his mouth.

In his words “When I arrived at the red carpet, nobody came for me, my record company didn’t come, I felt stupid and so I knew I could not win.

I sacked my manager, a French man, and they sacked me too.

Since then I vowed never to attend the Grammy Awards again.

My father never went for any awards and where they presented him an award, he didn’t go personally and when they brought the award to him, he would send them back with the award.

One day, I was at the World Music Awards and I brought the awards. He asked, “Did I send you? You better take it back.

As I grew older, I understood what he was saying then.” In the World Music category, Femi’s Africa for Africa album wil be contending with Malian band, Tinariwen’s Tassili; Latin/Roots music band, AfroCubism’s eponymous album; and South African male choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Songs From a Zulu Farm.

Interestingly, Africa for Africa, which was released in Europe and the US by Femi’s American label, Knitting Factory Records, has yet to be released in Africa