Nearly 30 years after his death, Afrobeat trailblazer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has etched his legacy into music history as the first African artist ever to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a long-overdue honour that cements his global influence on sound and culture.
Presented at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards in Los Angeles on January 31, the award formally recognised Fela’s revolutionary fusion of jazz, funk and traditional West African rhythms — the very blueprint for Afrobeat and a foundational pillar for today’s Afrobeats movement.
Fela’s daughter, Yeni Kuti, spoke ahead of the ceremony, balancing pride with candid reflection on the historic moment:
“The family is happy about it, and we’re excited that he’s finally being recognised,” she said. “But Fela was never nominated in his lifetime… this recognition is better late than never.”
Renowned artist Lemi Ghariokwu, the creative genius behind many of Fela’s iconic album covers, echoed that sentiment:
“It just shows that whatever we as Africans need to do, we need to do it five times more,” he said, before adding, “It’s good to have one of us represented in that category, at that level.”
The honour put Fela alongside music legends like Cher, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon and Carlos Santana, highlighting the broad roster of icons recognised this year.
Fans and artists alike have celebrated the moment as a symbolic victory for African music on the world stage, while critics note that the Grammy recognition — arriving decades after Fela’s groundbreaking career — speaks to larger conversations about representation and cultural valuation in global entertainment.
