Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has made history as the first African to be honoured with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.
The recognition comes nearly three decades after the legendary Afrobeat pioneer’s passing at the age of 58. The award will be presented during the Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Saturday, January 31, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, just one day ahead of the 68th annual Grammy Awards.
The award was first presented in 1963 to American singer and actor Bing Crosby.
Other musicians who will receive the award this year include Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan and Paul Simon.
Fela Kuti’s family, as well as friends and colleagues, will be attending the event to receive his award.
In a statement, the Recording Academy lauded Fela’s enduring impact on global music.
“Fela’s influence spans generations, inspiring artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke, and shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats. A titanic sociopolitical voice, his revolutionary politics brought him into violent conflict with successive military regimes.”
The Academy also noted the resurgence of his catalogue through modern media, including the chart-topping 2025 podcast Fela Kuti: Fear No Man and the earlier Tony Award-winning Broadway hit, Fela!.
The Lifetime Achievement Award remains the Academy’s highest mark of respect for career-long contributions to the industry.
