Grammy Academy Honours Afrobeat Pioneer Fela Kuti with Lifetime Achievement Award
For the first time in Grammy history, Africa has been formally recognised at the highest level of musical honour. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician and creator of Afrobeat, has been posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, marking a watershed moment for African music on the global stage. The honour was announced at the 2026 Grammy Special Merit Awards, held in Los Angeles ahead of the main Grammy ceremony. With this recognition, Fela becomes the first African artist ever to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, placing him among a rare group of global music icons whose influence transcends generations, geography, and genre. A Long-Overdue Recognition The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for artists whose contributions have left an “extraordinary and lasting impact” on recorded music. For many observers, Fela Kuti’s inclusion is long overdue. Born in 1938, Fela revolutionised African music by creating Afrobeat, a genre that fused...