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Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has made history as the first African artist to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.
The late music icon was posthumously celebrated at the 2026 Special Merit Awards, held in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, just ahead of the main Grammy Awards ceremony.
The award was accepted on his behalf by his children—Yeni, Kunle, Shalewa, and Femi Kuti. During the ceremony, Yeni expressed her gratitude to the Recording Academy and said she was certain their father would be “smiling down on us.” She also acknowledged siblings who could not attend—Motunrayo and Seun—as well as her nephew Made, whom she praised for continuing to elevate Afrobeat globally.
“I’m sure my father is smiling down on us,” Yeni said in her acceptance speech. “I want to acknowledge my siblings who couldn’t be here tonight, Motunrayo and Seun, and my nephew, Made, who is carrying Afrobeat to another level.”
Femi Kuti also spoke during the ceremony, thanking everyone championing Afrobeat worldwide, from DJs and media members to their label Partisan, legal representatives, and fans. He emphasized the significance of the recognition not just for their father, but for Africa, global unity, and the ongoing fight for justice.
“I would like to thank all the people carrying Afrobeat who are here tonight—DJs, the press, our label Partisan, our lawyers, fans all over the world. Thank you for bringing our father here. It’s so important for Africa, for world peace, and for the struggle,” Femi said.
Fela was honoured alongside other global music icons including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher, and Paul Simon. Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, described the 2026 honorees as “an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres, and the very foundation of modern music.”
This posthumous recognition cements Fela’s legacy as a cultural architect from Nigeria, whose impact on music, political consciousness, and Afrobeat’s global reach remains unmatched.
Established in 1962, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honours performers whose creative contributions to recording are of outstanding artistic significance. The first recipient was Bing Crosby in 1963.
