What Yeni Kuti said after Fela received Grammy Lifetime Achievement award

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The Recording Academy has made history by awarding the Lifetime Achievement Award to Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, marking him as the first African musician to receive this honor.

The honour was awarded posthumously during the 2026 Special Merit Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, one day prior to the main Grammy Awards ceremony. His children Yeni, Kunle, Shalewa, and Femi Kuti were there to accept the award on his behalf.

In her speech to the audience, Yeni Kuti expressed gratitude to the Recording Academy and mentioned that she thought their father would be “smiling down on us.”

She acknowledged her absent siblings, Motunrayo and Seun, and commended her nephew Made Kuti for elevating Afrobeat to new levels.

“I’m sure my father is smiling down on us. I want to acknowledge my siblings who couldn’t be here tonight, Motunrayo and Seun, and my nephew who is carrying Afrobeat to another level, Made.”

In his speech, Femi Kuti expressed gratitude to those who have contributed to the preservation and global dissemination of Afrobeat, including DJs, media professionals, their record label Partisan, legal teams, and fans worldwide. He characterized the acknowledgment as a significant advance not only for their deceased father, but also for Africa and the worldwide struggle for justice.

“I would like to thank all the people carrying Afrobeat that are in this place tonight. DJs, the press, our label Partisan, our lawyers, fans all over the world. Thank you for bringing our father here, it’s so important for Africa. It’s so important for world peace and struggle., Femi said.

Fela was awarded this prestigious honour alongside other renowned figures in international music, including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher, and Paul Simon.

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