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Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti will be posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, cementing his enduring global influence decades after his death. Although Fela never won a Grammy while he was alive, the Recording Academy is recognizing his towering impact on modern music, activism, and cultural consciousness with this award. The honor follows a landmark year that saw his 1976 album Zombie inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, accepted by his sons Femi and Seun Kuti. Fela’s revolutionary sound brilliantly fused highlife, jazz, and funk, birthing a genre that continues to inspire global superstars from Beyoncé to Burna Boy. The award will be presented at the Grammys’ Special Merit Ceremony, closing another chapter in his ever-expanding legacy.
Okay Africa