Home AFRICAN MUSIC Fela Kuti’s Grammy lifetime achievement award is a major win for African...

Fela Kuti’s Grammy lifetime achievement award is a major win for African music – News4JAX

People raise a framed black-and-white photo of Fela Kuti and a plastic cup in a dimly lit setting with colored lights, celebrating the legacy of African music and his Grammy lifetime achievement award.

LAGOS – Fela Kuti became the first African to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy at the Grammys Special Merit Awards.

He was honored posthumously on Saturday alongside Chaka Khan, Cher, Carlos Santana and Whitney Houston.

The award underscores the artist’s contribution to music and as the inspiration of one of the most popular contemporary African music genres, Afrobeats. Nigerian music critics welcomed the recognition as a reflection of his enduring influence.

“What the recognition means locally is the…