US EditionNigeria's Fela Kuti Is First African Musician Honoured with Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award
Fela Kuti, who created Afrobeat and influenced global music, is honored posthumously by the Grammys, becoming the first African to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- On Saturday in Los Angeles the Grammy Awards will honour Fela Kuti with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, nearly three decades after his 1997 death at age 58.
- Rooted in 1970s experimentation, Afrobeat was created by Fela Kuti by blending jazz, funk, and African rhythms, and he frequently clashed with Nigerian military governments, facing arrests after his 1974 album 'Zombie' while writing long, defiant songs.
- The Grammys' citation noted Fela's cross-generational influence, honouring him alongside Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan; Rikki Stein, Fela's manager, said the award would `significantly uplift Fela's music`.
- Kuti relatives described the moment as a celebration for the African people and urged organisers not to wait until artists are dead, with Yemisi Ransome-Kuti saying Fela would have said `better late than never`.
- Rising interest is visible as the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category in 2024, dominated by Nigerian Afrobeats singers after Tems won last year, and younger listeners discover Fela's music.
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Fela Kuti to become first African to get Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award
Nigeria's Afrobeat king Fela Kuti will this weekend be posthumously recognised by the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive the distinction. After a lifetime of clashes with successive powers in Nigeria, the recognition comes nearly three decades after Fela's death and long after his influence reshaped global music. He is one of several artists getting the award at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sa…
The Nigerian musician Fela Kuti is awarded posthumously with a Grammy for his life's work. He is thus the first African to receive this award. Fela Kuti is considered the inventor of the Afrobeat music direction.
Disappeared in 1997, the Nigerian afrobeat king is to be honoured with a tribute for all of his work, this weekend in Los Angeles.
Nigeria's Fela Kuti is first African musician honoured with Grammys Lifetime Achievement award
Nigeria’s Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti will be posthumously honored this weekend with a Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive the prestigious distinction.
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