Nigerian music icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti will be posthumously honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys, becoming the first African artist to receive the recognition almost three decades after his death.

Fela, widely celebrated as the king of Afrobeat, died in 1997 at the age of 58. His son, Seun Kuti, described the award as “bringing balance to a Fela story” and called it “a double victory.”

“Fela has been in the hearts of the people for such a long time. Now the Grammys have acknowledged it,” Seun said.

Longtime friend and manager Rikki Stein welcomed the honour, describing it as “better late than never,” while noting the growing global appreciation of African music.

Fela’s influence on modern Afrobeats remains profound. In 2024, the Grammys introduced a Best African Performance category, and this year Burna Boy is nominated for Best Global Music Album, underscoring the genre’s expanding global footprint.

Other recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, and Paul Simon. Members of Fela’s family and close associates are expected to attend the ceremony to receive the award on his behalf.

“The global human tapestry needs this, not just because it’s my father,” Seun Kuti added.

Beyond music, Fela Kuti was a cultural theorist, political activist, and pan-Africanist, whose work fused rhythm with resistance. His 1977 album Zombie openly mocked Nigeria’s military regime, triggering a violent raid on his Kalakuta Republic compound that led to the death of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. He later transformed his grief into protest through songs such as Coffin for Head of State.

“He wasn’t doing what he was doing to win awards. He was interested in liberation. Freeing the mind. He was fearless. He was determined,” Stein said.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Fela released over 50 albums, blending jazz, funk, highlife, West African rhythms, and uncompromising political commentary. Alongside drummer Tony Allen, he pioneered Afrobeat, influencing generations of musicians across Africa and the diaspora.

His sound drew early inspiration from Ghanaian highlife, which shaped Afrobeat’s signature horns and dance-driven grooves. On stage, Fela was unmistakable—often bare-chested or clad in wax prints, saxophone in hand, commanding 20-plus musicians at Lagos’ iconic Afrika Shrine.

“When Fela played, nobody applauded. The audience wasn’t separate. They were part of it,” Stein recalled.