The Recording Academy has named Fela Kuti a recipient of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing the late Nigerian artist’s enduring cultural and musical impact. The honor was announced alongside fellow recipients Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Cher, Paul Simon, and Whitney Houston. The award will be presented during Grammy Week at a Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles on January 31.
Kuti’s legacy received renewed attention throughout 2025. The 12-episode podcast Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, produced by Talkhouse and Western Sound and presented by Audible and Higher Ground, premiered in the fall. Hosted by Jad Abumrad, the series drew on more than 200 interviews with family members, historians, activists, and artists, including President Barack Obama, David Byrne, Brian Eno, and Burna Boy.
Earlier this year, Kuti’s 1976 album Zombie was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the first Nigerian album to receive the distinction. Widely regarded as a landmark of protest music, the album will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.
In November, Partisan Records released its first vinyl edition of The Best of the Black President, a limited 4-LP box set featuring artwork by longtime collaborator Lemi Ghariokwu and packaging designed by Taofeek Abijako. The release coincided with the 25th anniversary of Felabration, the week-long Lagos festival honoring Kuti’s life and music.
Born Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938–1997), the artist pioneered Afrobeat by combining jazz, funk, and traditional Nigerian rhythms with politically charged lyrics. His confrontations with Nigeria’s military regimes led to repeated arrests and violent reprisals, including the destruction of his Kalakuta Republic commune. Kuti continued performing and recording until shortly before his death; his funeral drew more than one million attendees.
Kuti’s influence spans generations. His work has inspired artists across multiple genres such as jazz, pop, rock and hip-hop, and his music continues to be sampled, reissued, and celebrated worldwide. Stewardship of his legacy remains with his family, including sons Femi and Seun Kuti and the ongoing work of the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, as preparations continue for the upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations of Zombie and Expensive Shit.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central