Long regarded as the king of Afrobeat, the late Fela Kuti is now being honored on the global stage by the Grammy Awards.
The Nigerian music great will be honored posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award nearly 30 years after his death at the age of 58.
“Fela has been in the hearts of people for a very long time. “Now the Grammys have acknowledged it, and it’s a double victory,” his son, Seun Kuti, told the BBC. He elaborated: “It’s bringing balance to a Fela story.”
Grammys Recognize African Music
Rikki Stein, Fela’s longtime friend and manager, lauded the acknowledgment as “better late than never.”
He remarked that Africa has previously been underrepresented in global honors, but that this is beginning to shift.
Following the expanding global success of Afrobeats, which was influenced by Fela’s sound, the Grammys added a Best African Performance category in 2024.
This year, Nigerian artist Burna Boy is also nominated for Best Global Music Album.
Fela Kuti will be the first African to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which was initially given to American singer Bing Crosby in 1963.
Musician, Activist, and Cultural Icon
Fela Kuti wasn’t only a musician. He was a cultural thinker, political activist, and the creator of Afrobeat, a musical form that combines West African rhythms, jazz, funk, highlife, improvisation, call-and-response vocals, and politically charged lyrics.
During his three-decade career, Fela released over 50 albums and utilized his songs to criticize Nigeria’s military administrations.
His 1977 record Zombie, which satirized government forces, sparked a horrific raid on his Lagos compound, Kalakuta Republic, resulting in injuries that ultimately killed his mother.
Fela responded with the song “Coffin for Head of State,” turning grief into protest.
Pan-African Vision and Musical Legacy
Fela’s musical style was influenced by Ghanaian highlife and incorporated jazz, funk, Yoruba rhythms, and revolutionary storytelling.
Afrobeat became more than just Nigerian; it carried West Africa’s musical DNA over the world.
Fela commanded attention on stage with his imposing presence, frequently performing bare-chested with an Afro and a saxophone in hand, supported by a big band.
Continued Global Influence
Fela Kuti’s music continues to inspire artists worldwide, including Burna Boy, Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Idris Elba.