Many music pundits have named late Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti as the progenitor of Afrobeat. Now, the global music industry has responded and has posthumously awarded Kuti with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys – almost three decades after his death at the age of 58.
“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.
“It’s bringing balance to a Fela story,” he adds.
Rikki Stein, a long-time friend and manager of the late musician, says the recognition by the Grammys is “better late than never”.
“Africa hasn’t in the past rated very highly in their interests. I think that’s changing quite a bit of late,” Stein tells the BBC.
Following the global success 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 also had a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category.
