Fela becomes first African to receive Grammy lifetime honour

Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti has received a major global honour nearly three decades after his de.ath

The BBC reported on Friday that the Recording Academy will posthumously confer a Lifetime Achievement Award on the Nigerian music icon at the Grammy Awards, making him the first African to receive the honour.

The award recognises Fela’s lasting impact on global music and culture, according to the BBC.

Reacting to the recognition, his son and Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, 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.”

A former manager and long-time associate of the late singer, Rikki Stein, said the honour was long overdue.

“Africa hasn’t in the past rated very highly in their interests. I think that’s changing quite a bit of late,” Stein said.

The BBC noted that 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.