The Recording Academy is set to formally recognise the global impact of Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, nearly three decades after his death, with the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The posthumous honour underscores the enduring influence of the Nigerian musician, composer and activist on contemporary music worldwide.
Fela will be honoured at the 68th Grammy Awards ceremony on January 31, 2026, in Los Angeles. The recognition comes in the year he would have turned 88, highlighting how his artistic vision continues to resonate across generations and borders long after his passing in 1997.
Members of the Kuti family — Yeni Kuti, Femi Kuti and Kunle Kuti — will receive the award on his behalf, standing in for both the family and the global Afrobeat community that has sustained and expanded the genre Fela created.
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The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 1962, is reserved for performers whose creative output has left an indelible mark on the recording industry. Fela now joins a select group of artists whose contributions transcended commercial success to achieve lasting artistic significance.
Recent honours have further reinforced his legacy. In 2025, Fela’s seminal 1976 album Zombie was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the accolade accepted by his sons Femi and Seun Kuti. While Fela never received a Grammy nomination during his lifetime, the continued recognition of his work — alongside multiple nominations earned by his children and grandson — reflects a legacy that has only grown in stature with time.
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