Fela Kuti makes history with posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Nigeria’s Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been posthumously honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive the distinction. The award will be presented in Los Angeles during a special ceremony held on the eve of the main Grammys gala.
Fela is being celebrated alongside global music icons including Cher, Whitney Houston and Carlos Santana. His grandson, musician Made Kuti, says the recognition is long overdue.
“I’ve always believed that Fela was on the same professional level as the best of the best in the world,” Made Kuti said. “There are not many people you can trace back as an originator of a style of music that would take that risk and be so creative that it truly developed into a genre that lives on its own.”
In the 1970s, the multi-instrumentalist created Afrobeat, a revolutionary blend of jazz, funk and traditional African rhythms. The genre became a powerful vehicle for political activism and social commentary, challenging corruption and military rule in Nigeria. Afrobeat later laid the groundwork for Afrobeats, a modern sound that has captured global audiences by fusing African rhythms with contemporary pop influences.
Fela’s musical legacy continues through his sons, Femi and Seun Kuti, both internationally acclaimed musicians, as well as his grandson Made. According to Made, the enduring global reach of Fela’s music speaks to its depth and power.
“Even beyond language barriers, it’s the core of the music that has transcended,” he said. “Without any doubt, he’s one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived.”
Known as the “Black President,” Fela Kuti died in 1997 at the age of 58, but his influence continues to resonate across generations and continents.
By Rédaction Africanews
