Late Afrobeat Pioneer Fela Kuti Named First African Recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The late Nigerian Afrobeat icon, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has been posthumously honoured as the first African to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Recording Academy announced the historic recognition ahead of the 2026 ceremony, placing Fela among other legends like Carlos Santana and Chaka Khan.
His son, Seun Kuti, described the award as “overdue” and a “double victory,” while former manager Rikki Stein noted it signifies a shift in global recognition towards African artistry. The award acknowledges Fela’s three-decade career, during which he created over 50 albums and fused music with potent political activism against corruption and injustice in Nigeria.
Key Points
The award provides monumental, formal validation for Fela’s global cultural impact, elevating his legacy within the mainstream music establishment.
It reinforces the growing commercial and critical prestige of African music internationally, following the introduction of the Grammys’ Best African Performance category.
Fela’s family and the Afrobeat community gain a pinnacle of institutional recognition, while the global music industry acknowledges a foundational figure it long overlooked.
The honour symbolically reconciles Fela’s anti-establishment ethos with the world’s most prominent music institution, cementing his status as a transcendent icon.
Bestowed decades after his death, the timing underscores the enduring and expanding relevance of his music and message for new generations worldwide.
The Grammy award formally anoints Fela Kuti’s legacy, transforming him from a revolutionary musician into a globally canonized pillar of musical and social history.
Sources: Recording Academy announcement, BBC interviews with Seun Kuti and Rikki Stein