Fela Kuti becomes first African to receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

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Long celebrated as the king of Afrobeat, the late Fela Kuti is finally being honored on the global stage by the Grammy Awards

The Nigerian music icon will posthumously receive a Lifetime Achievement Award nearly 30 years after his death at age 58.

“Fela has been in the hearts of the people for such a long time. Now the Grammys have acknowledged it, and it’s a double victory,” said his son, Seun Kuti, in an interview with the BBC. He added, “It’s bringing balance to a Fela story.”

Grammys Recognize African Music

Rikki Stein, a longtime friend and manager of Fela, hailed the recognition as “better late than never.”

He noted that Africa has historically been underrepresented in global awards but said this trend is beginning to change.

Following the rising global success of Afrobeats, inspired by Fela’s sound, the Grammys introduced a Best African Performance category in 2024.

This year, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy is also nominated in the Best Global Music Album category.

Fela Kuti will become the first African to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which was first awarded in 1963 to American singer Bing Crosby.

Musician, Activist, and Cultural Icon

Fela Kuti was more than a musician. He was a cultural theorist, political activist, and the architect of Afrobeat—a genre blending West African rhythms, jazz, funk, highlife, improvisation, call-and-response vocals, and politically charged lyrics.

Throughout a three-decade career, Fela released over 50 albums and used his music to challenge Nigeria’s military regimes.

His 1977 album Zombie, which satirized government soldiers, led to a brutal raid on his Lagos compound, Kalakuta Republic, resulting in injuries that later caused his mother’s death.

Fela responded with the song Coffin for Head of State, transforming grief into protest.

Pan-African Vision and Musical Legacy

Fela’s musical style was influenced by Ghanaian highlife and fused with jazz, funk, Yoruba rhythms, and revolutionary storytelling.

Afrobeat became not just Nigerian but pan-African, carrying West Africa’s musical DNA worldwide.

On stage, Fela commanded attention with his powerful presence, often performing bare-chested with an Afro, saxophone in hand, surrounded by a large band.

Continued Global Influence

Fela Kuti’s music continues to resonate worldwide, inspiring artists like Burna Boy, Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Idris Elba.