Photo Credit: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti/Instagram

History was made in Los Angeles this weekend during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards season. The pioneer of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo–Kuti, was posthumously honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony. This landmark recognition makes Fela the first African artist to receive this honour, a moment that cements the global legacy of Nigerian music.

The Recording Academy bestowed this honour upon Fela alongside an elite group of international music heavyweights, including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher, and Paul Simon. In an official statement, Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, described the honorees as an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres, and the very foundation of modern music.

The ceremony was a significant family affair, with Femi Kuti, Yeni Kuti, Shalewa Kuti, and Kunle Kuti present to accept the award on behalf of their father. The pride of the Kuti dynasty was evident as they took to the stage to acknowledge Fela’s enduring impact.

During the acceptance speech, Yeni Kuti expressed her gratitude to the Academy and the family’s supporters. “I want to thank the Grammys for this wonderful award. I’m sure my father is smiling down on us, she said. She also took a moment to recognise the family members who were absent, saying, I want to acknowledge my siblings who couldn’t be here tonight, Motunrayo and Seun, and my nephew who is carrying Afrobeat to another level, Made.”

Femi Kuti followed with a tribute to his father’s mission and the global community that has sustained Afrobeat for decades. “I would like to thank all the people carrying Afrobeat that are in this place tonight. DJs, the press, our label Partisan Records, our lawyers, fans all over the world, he noted. He concluded with a reflection on the weight of the moment: Thank you for bringing our father here. It’s so important for Africa. It’s so important for world peace and struggle.”

This recognition by the Recording Academy serves as a definitive validation of Fela’s role as a foundational figure in contemporary music, whose message continues to inspire millions worldwide in 2026.

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Photo Credit: Fela Anikulapo Kuti/Instagram

Decades after his passing, Fela Anikulapo–Kuti is set to be honoured on one of music’s biggest stages. The legendary Afrobeat pioneer will receive a Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, recognising the lasting impact of his work on global music.

The honour will be presented at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards ceremony on January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week, a day before the main awards show. Fela will be celebrated alongside an impressive group of music greats including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher and Paul Simon.

While Fela never won a Grammy during his lifetime, his influence has continued to resonate far beyond his era. In 2025, his 1976 album “Zombie” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the award accepted by his sons, Femi and Seun Kuti, a moment that reaffirmed just how far his music has travelled.

Announcing the honourees on Instagram, the Recording Academy described Fela as follows: “An architect of Afrobeat, honored for a lifetime of influence. Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical, activist, and the father of Afrobeat. In the 1960s, he created the genre by combining funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and a blend of traditional Nigerian rhythms.”

The Academy also spoke about the reach of his legacy, noting: “His influence spans generations, shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats and inspiring global artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke. His legacy continues to live on not only through music, but through his family and through the Kalakuta Museum and the New Afrika Shrine.”

With this recognition, Fela joins a distinguished list of past Special Merit Award recipients including Whitney Houston, Cher, Paul Simon, Chaka Khan, Carlos Santana, Sylvia Rhone, John Chowning, Eddie Palmieri and Bernie Taupin.

As the 2026 Grammy Awards approach, Nigerian stars are back in the mix. Burna Boy is up for Best African Music Performance with “Love” and Best Global Music Album with “No Sign of Weakness,” while Davido earns a nod for “With You” featuring Omah Lay in the Best African Music Performance category. Ayra Starr and Wizkid also make the list with “Gimme Dat.”

 

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The Academy noted that Zombie meets the Hall of Fame’s requirement for recordings that are “At least 25 years old and exhibit lasting qualitative or historical significance”.

By Abioye Damilare Samson

Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has posthumously earned a place in the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame, with his seminal 1976 album, Zombie, recognised by the Recording Academy for its enduring cultural and historical impact.

The announcement was made earlier this week, with the Academy noting that the conscious album meets the Hall of Fame’s requirement for recordings that are “At least 25 years old and exhibit lasting qualitative or historical significance”. The album now joins an esteemed collection that includes works by Jay-Z, Santana, and Cat Stevens.

Fela’s eldest son, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, shared the news on his official X page on Wednesday. “Our father’s legacy lives on. We are honoured to accept this Grammy Hall of Fame award on behalf of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. His music continues to inspire and unite people across the world”, he wrote.

Released during a tense period in Nigeria’s military regime, Zombie delivered an unflinching critique of military oppression and unquestioning obedience. Its impact was immediate and far-reaching, provoking a violent state-led attack on Fela’s Kalakuta Republic in 1977, a raid that resulted in the destruction of property and brutal assaults on his family and community.

Despite the state’s attempt to stifle his voice, Fela’s message endured. Nearly three decades after his passing, Zombie remains a potent work of resistance, echoing in the music of African superstars such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido, and referenced by global acts like Alicia Keys and Coldplay.

With this latest recognition, Fela’s towering influence on music and politics — both in Africa and across the globe — is once again cemented in history.

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