One of This Year’s Grammys Lifetime Achievement Awards Marks a Historic First

The late Fela Kuti is making history as the first African artist to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys. This historic feat will happen tonight, Sunday, Feb. 1 in Los Angeles at the Cyrpto.com arena. 

The Nigerian star will posthumously receive the honor almost three decades after his death at the age of 58. He died on August 2, 1997, from Kaposi’s sarcoma, an illness caused by AIDS.

“Fela has been in the hearts of the people for such a long time. Now the Grammys have acknowledged it, and it’s a double victory,” his musician/son Seun Kuti tells the BBC in a statement. “It’s bringing balance to a Fela story,” he adds.

Rikki Stein, a long-time friend and manager of Fela, says the recognition on music’s biggest night globally is “better late than never”, saying, “Africa hasn’t in the past rated very highly in their interests. I think that’s changing quite a bit of late.”

Fela’s family, as well friends and colleagues, will be attending the Grammys to receive his award. “The global human tapestry needs this, not just because it’s my father,” Seun Kuti tells the BBC.

Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child starred as Sandra Isadore in the 2013 national tour of the Broadway musical Fela!, which chronicled the life of the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. “I am thrilled to join the cast of Fela!,” Williams said in a statement to Playbill at the time her role was announced. “This musical journey is one that I’ve wanted to be a part of since first seeing it on stage in 2008. The sounds, the passion and the politics of Fela Kuti have long intrigued me and speak to my heart. I am simply honored.”

Because of the rise of Afrobeats, a genre inspired by Fela’s sound, the Grammys introduced the category of Best African Performance in 2024. This year, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy is nominated in the Best Global Music Album category.