By Akinwale Kasali
Legendary late Afrobeat Musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the music industry.
The Award made the Afrobeat maestro the first African to be honoured with such prestigious Award.
David Adeleke, popularly as Davido, joined the Kuti family at the Grammy Honors Party in Los Angeles, United States of America, held in celebration of the late Afrobeat pioneer.
Videos shared on Instagram by Davido’s logistics manager, Israel DMW, showed the singer alongside Fela’s children, Femi and Yeni Kuti, and other members of his team at the ceremony.
Sharing clips from the event, Israel DMW wrote, “A night for late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Abami Eda of the universe. Outside LA.”
The Late Afrobeat legend will officially be recognised this weekend by the Recording Academy, with the Lifetime Achievement Award set to be presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, on the eve of the main GRAMMY Awards gala.
Other recipients of the honour include music icons such as Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan.
Femi Anikulapo Kuti, the eldest Son of Fela while reacting to the recognition, alongside Fela’s first cousin and head of the Kuti family, Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, described the award as a victory for Africa.
“This is a celebration for the African people and they should take it as their award. Another African is being celebrated,” she told AFP.
However, she also urged award-giving bodies not to wait until artists are gone before recognising their impact.
Reflecting on what Fela’s reaction might have been, Ransome-Kuti said the Afrobeat legend would likely have remarked, “better late than never,” while noting that during his lifetime, he was not particularly concerned about Western recognition.
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
