Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti has become the first African artist to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, nearly three decades after he died in 1997. The historic recognition highlights a musical legacy that continues to reshape global music.
The award will be presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, the eve of the main Grammy Awards. Kuti will be honoured alongside Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan.
In the 1970s, Fela invented Afrobeat: a mixture of jazz, funk and African rhythms. The multi-instrumentalist and electrifying performer created marathon grooves with piercing horns and relentless percussion that laid the groundwork for today’s global Afrobeats movement. Over nearly three decades, Kuti released more than 50 albums, building a body of work that fused music with ideology, rhythm with resistance, and performance with protest.
Albums like “Expensive Shit” (1975) and “Zombie” (1977) became defining works of the genre, combining politically charged lyrics sung in pidgin English with infectious, extended instrumental sections. The Grammys citation noted that Fela’s influence spans generations, inspiring artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney and Thom Yorke. Today’s artists, from Burna Boy to Kendrick Lamar, continue to draw from his revolutionary sound.
Known as the “Black President,” Kuti wielded music as a weapon against corruption and military rule in Nigeria. After his 1976 album Zombie criticised the Nigerian government, military forces burned his Lagos home and recording compound, beating Fela unconscious and injuring his mother, who later died from her wounds.
Rather than retreat, Fela Kuti responded through music and defiance, taking his mother’s coffin to government offices and releasing the song Coffin for Head of State, turning grief into protest. He endured repeated arrests, beatings, and censorship throughout his career.
His grandson, Grammy-nominated musician Made Kuti, told AFP the recognition feels wonderful, noting that all three generations are still practising Afrobeat and taking the legacy forward. His sons, Femi and Seun Kut,i have both continued their father’s musical and political mission.
Rikki Stein, Fela’s manager, predicted the award would significantly uplift Fela’s music, noting that an increasing number of people who weren’t even born when Fela died are expressing interest in listening to his music and message.
The honour comes two years after the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category, reflecting Africa’s growing influence on global music—an influence Fela Kuti helped pioneer decades ago.
