Fela to be honoured with Grammy lifetime achievement award by Recording Academy

AFROBEAT creator and Nigeria's most popular citizen ever Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will is to be conferred with a lifetime achievement award at the next Grammy Awards ceremony taking place on February 1.

Due to take place at the Cryptoarena.com arena in Los Angeles, the 2026 Grammy Awards will be the 70th in history. Organised by the Recording Academy, the awards are characterised by the fact that winners are determined by the academy's voting members, who are a peer group composed of music creators, including artists, songwriters, producers and engineers.

This year, organisers have decided to honour Fela, popularly known as Baba 70, with an award, nearly three decades after his death. Fela, who has had a lasting impact on global music and culture, will become the first African ever to receive a Grammy lifetime achievement award.

Seun Kuti, Fela's son said: “Fela has been in the hearts of the people for such a long time. Now the Grammys have acknowledged it and it’s a double victory.

"It’s bringing balance to a Fela story. The global human tapestry needs this, not just because it’s my father.”

A former manager and long-time associate of the late singer, Rikki Stein, said the honour was long overdue. He added:  “Africa hasn’t in the past rated very highly in their interests. I think that’s changing quite a bit of late."

According to the BBC, the recognition comes amid rising global interest in African music, driven largely by the international success of Afrobeats, a genre rooted in Fela’s work. In 2024, the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category and this year, Nigerian singer Burna Boy earned a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category.

Fela’s Lifetime Achievement Award places him among global music legends. Past recipients include Bing Crosby, while this year’s honourees also feature Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan and Paul Simon.

Members of Fela’s family, friends and associates are expected to attend the ceremony to receive the award on his behalf. His two sons Femi and Seun are expected to be there in person, with the BBC describing Fela as more than a musician but a cultural thinker, political agitator and the creator of Afrobeat.

Along with drummer Tony Allen, Fela developed the Afrobeat genre by blending West African rhythms with jazz, funk and highlife, marked by extended improvisation and politically charged lyrics. During a career that lasted until his death in 1997, Fela released over 50 albums and became a fierce critic of authority, repeatedly clashing with the Nigerian military governments through his music and activism.