Fela Kuti Makes History As First African Artist To Receive Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award

Long before Afrobeat filled global playlists and Nigerian sounds ruled international charts, one man laid the foundation — and now the Grammys are finally tipping their hat. Legendary musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti is set to make history this weekend as the first African artist to receive the Grammys’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honour will be presented posthumously at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, held a day before the main Grammy Awards. Nearly 30 years after his death, the recognition marks a rare global acknowledgment of Fela’s enormous influence on music and culture.

Fela joins an elite list of recipients this year that includes Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan. For many, the timing

may feel long overdue, given how deeply his work reshaped modern music far beyond Nigeria.

In the 1970s, Fela — a magnetic performer and multi-instrumentalist — created Afrobeat, blending jazz, funk and traditional African rhythms into a powerful, unmistakable sound. That genre later evolved into Afrobeats, the globally popular style that mixes African rhythms with contemporary pop influences and continues to dominate international charts today.

The Grammys themselves acknowledged this shift when they introduced the Best African Performance category in 2024. Since then, Nigerian Afrobeats artists have led the space, including Tems, who won last year. This year, three of the five nominees in the category are Nigerian.

“Fela’s influence spans generations, inspiring artists such as Beyonce, Paul McCartney and Thom Yorke, and shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats,” said a citation on the Grammys list of this year’s honorees.

Often called the “Black President” for his outspoken activism, Fela died in 1997 at the age of 58. His musical legacy continues through his sons, Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti, and his grandson Made Kuti, all of whom actively perform Afrobeat today.

“This acknowledgment coming at this time when all three of us are present. It feels wonderful,” Grammy-nominated Made Kuti told AFP.

“It feels wonderful that all of us are still practicing Afrobeat, still taking the legacy as far as we can take it.”

Fela’s first cousin and family head Yemisi Ransome-Kuti described the award as a moment of pride beyond the family. “A celebration for the African people and they should take .. as their award. Another African is being celebrated,” she told AFP.

At the same time, she offered a gentle critique of delayed recognition. “But we also want to send a message to those who are giving these acknowledgements, please …not wait till people are dead,” she said.

Reflecting on how Fela might have reacted, she added: “I’m sure he would have said better late than never” although “in his lifetime he was not particularly interested in being recognised in the external world particularly the western world”.

Throughout his career, Fela was frequently arrested by Nigeria’s military governments, largely due to his outspoken political views. His 1974 album Zombie, widely seen as a sharp attack on the ruling military regime, marked one of his earliest major confrontations with authorities. His music was unapologetically political, openly critical of corruption and those in power.

Speaking from Los Angeles, where he will attend the ceremony with the Kuti family, Fela’s former manager Rikki Stein said the recognition could introduce his music to an entirely new generation.

The award, he said, would “significantly uplift Fela’s music”.

“Fifty albums out there. I’m sure it’s going to continue onward and upward.”

“An increasing number of people what weren’t even born when Fela died are expressing interest in listening to Fela’s music and hopefully Fela’s message,” he told AFP.

(With inputs from AFP)