By Mark Ogagan
Legendary Nigerian musician and Afro beats pioneer, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti will be posthumously honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammys.
Fela, who died in 1997 at the age of 58, was also a political activist and leader of the proscribed Movement of the People Party (MOP). The award seeks to recognize his impact on the music industry, particularly the Afro beats genre.
Others also penciled down down for a Lifetime Achievement award are late American R and B star, Whitney Houston, Cher, and Chaka Khan.
The awards ceremonty is scheduled for February 1, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and for the very last time, the ceremony will be broadcast on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+.
This honour will be presented at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards ceremony on January 31, 2026, during Grammy Week, a day before the main awards show.
While Fela never won a Grammy during his lifetime, his influence has continued to resonate far beyond his era. In 2025, his 1976 album “Zombie” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the award accepted by his sons, Femi and Seun Kuti, a moment that reaffirmed just how far his music has travelled.
Announcing the honourees on Instagram, the Recording Academy described Fela as follows: “An architect of Afrobeat, honored for a lifetime of influence. Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical, activist, and the father of Afrobeat. In the 1960s, he created the genre by combining funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and a blend of traditional Nigerian rhythms.”
The Academy also spoke about the reach of his legacy, noting: “His influence spans generations, shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats and inspiring global artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke. His legacy continues to live on not only through music, but through his family and through the Kalakuta Museum and the New Afrika Shrine.”
With this recognition, Fela joins a distinguished list of past Special Merit Award recipients including Whitney Houston, Cher, Paul Simon, Chaka Khan, Carlos Santana, Sylvia Rhone, John Chowning, Eddie Palmieri and Bernie Taupin.
As the 2026 Grammy Awards approach, Nigerian stars are back in the mix. Burna Boy is up for Best African Music Performance with “Love” and Best Global Music Album with “No Sign of Weakness,” while Davido earns a nod for “With You” featuring Omah Lay in the Best African Music Performance category. Ayra Starr and Wizkid also make the list with “Gimme Dat.”
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