More than two decades after his passing, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is set to receive one of global music’s most prestigious lifetime recognitions. The Recording Academy has announced the Afrobeat pioneer as a 2026 GRAMMY Merit Award honoree, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential musicians and cultural figures of the 20th century.

The GRAMMY Merit Award is reserved for artists whose contributions have left an indelible mark on music history, transcending commercial success to shape culture, sound, and social consciousness. For Fela, the honor feels both historic and overdue. His work did not merely entertain; it challenged power, confronted injustice, and redefined what African music could represent on a global stage.

Fela’s creation of Afrobeat, a fusion of traditional Yoruba rhythms, jazz, funk, and highlife reshaped global music language. Long, hypnotic compositions driven by polyrhythms, horns, and politically charged lyrics became his signature, influencing generations of artists across Africa, Europe, and the United States. From hip-hop and jazz to funk and alternative music, traces of Fela’s DNA remain unmistakable today.

Beyond music, the Recording Academy’s recognition also acknowledges Fela’s role as a cultural revolutionary. At great personal risk, he used his platform to criticize corruption, military rule, colonial legacy, and social hypocrisy in Nigeria. His activism made him both a hero and a target, but it also ensured that his art carried meaning far beyond the dance floor.

In recent years, Fela’s influence has only grown stronger. From Broadway’s Fela! to frequent sampling by contemporary artists and renewed interest in Afrobeat’s political roots, his ideas continue to resonate in a world still grappling with inequality and state power. The global rise of Afrobeats has further reintroduced new audiences to the foundation he laid decades earlier.

The 2026 GRAMMY Merit Award places Fela Anikulapo-Kuti among an elite group of music legends whose work shaped entire movements rather than moments. It is a recognition not just of sound, but of courage, conviction, and cultural truth.

As the Recording Academy prepares to formally honor him, the message is clear: Fela’s music was never confined to its era. His voice, vision, and defiance remain timeless, and the world is still listening.