The Grammys will posthumously honour Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been selected for a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy, nearly three decades after his death.
According to a report on Friday, the honour will be conferred at the Grammy Awards, marking Fela as the first African artist to receive the prestigious recognition.
The award acknowledges Fela’s enduring influence on global music and culture, particularly his role as the creator of Afrobeat, a genre that blends West African rhythms with jazz, funk and highlife, while carrying strong political and social messages.
Reacting to the announcement, Fela’s son and Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, described the recognition as a long-awaited validation of his father’s legacy.
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He noted that Fela’s impact has always lived in the hearts of people and that the Grammy recognition brings renewed balance to the narrative surrounding his life and work.
A former manager and long-time associate of the late musician, Rikki Stein, also described the honour as overdue, pointing to a growing shift in global recognition of African contributions to music.
It is reported that the recognition comes amid increasing global interest in African music, driven largely by the international rise of Afrobeats, a contemporary genre rooted in Fela’s original Afrobeat sound.
In recent years, the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category, while Nigerian artists have continued to gain nominations and visibility on the global stage.
Fela’s Lifetime Achievement Award places him among international music legends, including past recipients such as Bing Crosby, with this year’s honourees also featuring Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan and Paul Simon.
Members of Fela’s family, friends and long-time associates are expected to attend the ceremony to receive the award on his behalf.
Fela is described as more than a musician, portraying him as a cultural thinker, political activist and social critic whose music challenged authority and military rule in Nigeria.
Before his death in 1997, Fela released over 50 albums and consistently used his music as a tool for political resistance and social commentary.
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