Nearly 30 years after his death, Nigerian music icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti has made history as the first African to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Honored posthumously in Los Angeles ahead of the 68th Grammy Awards, the recognition celebrates Fela’s musical genius and his radical political voice. While Fela was never nominated during his lifetime, his family says the award, though long overdue, could introduce his work and ideas to a new generation. Widely credited as the creator of Afrobeat, Fela fused African rhythms with jazz, funk, and soul while fiercely challenging power and injustice. His influence now stretches across global music—and this moment may finally push his legacy further into the mainstream.
Al Jazeera
