Fela Kuti to Receive Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at 2026 Grammy Awards
Legendary Nigerian musician and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will be posthumously honoured with a Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The announcement was made by the Recording Academy, which described Fela as the “architect of Afrobeat,” recognising his groundbreaking role in creating and shaping the genre, as well as his lasting influence on global music and culture.
“An architect of Afrobeat, honoured for a lifetime of influence,” the Academy stated. “Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical, activist, and the father of Afrobeat. In the 1960s, he created the genre by blending funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and traditional Nigerian rhythms.”
Fela will join an elite group of past Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, including Whitney Houston, Cher, and Paul Simon.
The Academy also highlighted the enduring reach of Fela’s legacy, noting that his influence spans generations and continues to shape modern Nigerian Afrobeats while inspiring global artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke.
Beyond his music, Fela’s impact lives on through his family, as well as cultural landmarks like the Kalakuta Museum and the New Afrika Shrine, which continue to celebrate his revolutionary spirit and artistic vision.
The Special Merit Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week, ahead of the main Grammy Awards event.
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