The Recording Academy announced that Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti will receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, marking him as the first African musician to earn this prestigious recognition nearly three decades after his 1997 death. The honor, shared with icons like Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher, and Paul Simon, celebrates Fela's role as Afrobeat's architect, whose innovative fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, and Yoruba chants revolutionized global music and inspired artists including Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke.
Fela's enduring legacy extends beyond recordings to cultural landmarks like the Kalakuta Museum and New Afrika Shrine, preserved by his family, with sons Femi and Seun Kuti continuing his musical activism.
This award follows the June 2025 induction of his 1976 album "Zombie" into the Grammy Hall of Fame, underscoring his second major nod from the Academy within months. The Special Merit Awards ceremony occurs January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week in Los Angeles, ahead of the main event.