Fela Kuti to receive posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award — a first for an African musician

Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti will become the first African to be posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, according to the BBC. The award will be presented almost three decades after the death of the performer, who passed away at the age of 58.

The musician's son, Femi Kuti, commenting on the decision of the American Recording Academy, noted that his father had remained in people's hearts for many years, and now this has been officially recognised by the Grammy Award. He called it a double victory. Fela Kuti's manager and close friend, Ricky Stein, emphasised that although the recognition is belated, it is extremely important, adding that interest in African culture around the world has grown significantly only in recent years.

In 2024, the Grammy Awards introduced a separate category for "Best African Performance." This year, Nigerian singer Burna Boy will compete in the "Best World Music Album" category.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was first presented in 1963 to American singer and actor Bing Crosby. This year's winners also include Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana, American singer Chaka Khan, and American musician Paul Simon. As the award for Fela Kuti is posthumous, it will be accepted at the ceremony by members of his family, as well as friends and colleagues of the artist.

Fela Kuti is known as the founder and main innovator of Afrobeat, a musical genre that combines West African rhythms with elements of funk and jazz. He was the son of renowned Nigerian human rights activist Funmilayo Ransom-Fawcett. His band Africa'70 gained widespread popularity in Nigeria in the 1970s.

The musician openly opposed the military dictatorship in Nigeria. In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule. In 1978, during an army raid, the commune was destroyed, and Fela and his mother were injured — fatally in her case. In 1984, the musician was imprisoned by the government of Muhammadu Buhari, but was released 20 months later.

Fela Kuti continued to record music and perform in the 1980s and 1990s. After his death in 1997, his son Femi Kuti took control of the artist's reissues and musical legacy.

Fela Kuti, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Afrobeat, Nigerian musician, Grammy Award