President Bola Tinubu has paid glowing tribute to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti following his posthumous recognition with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, describing the legendary musician as far more than an entertainer.

In a personally signed statement titled “Fela Lives” released on Sunday, the president celebrated Fela’s historic achievement as the first African artist to receive the prestigious honor from the Recording Academy of America at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Tinubu described the late icon as a multidimensional force whose impact transcended music to encompass social activism, political resistance and cultural revolution.

“Fela was more than a musician. He was a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom, and a revolutionary force whose music confronted injustice and reshaped global sound,” the president declared in his tribute.

The statement emphasized that Fela’s courage, creativity and unwavering convictions not only defined an entire generation but continue inspiring artists, activists and freedom fighters across the world nearly three decades after his death in 1997.

Drawing from Yoruba spiritual tradition, Tinubu elevated Fela’s legacy to mythological dimensions, stating that the music icon has transcended ordinary mortality to achieve divine status.

“His courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world. In Yoruba mythology, he has transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa. He is now eternal,” the president added, invoking the Yoruba concept of deified ancestors.

Tinubu emphasized that the Grammy recognition affirms Fela’s enduring global influence and the foundational role he played in establishing Africa’s dominance in modern music, particularly through the creation of Afrobeat.

“The award is an affirmation of his enduring global influence and the foundational role he has played in the evolution and impact of Africa on modern music. He defined Afrobeat, and you can hear and see his influence in generations of Nigerian musicians and in Afrobeats and beyond,” the president stated.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was received by Fela’s children, including renowned saxophonist and multiple Grammy nominee Femi Kuti, during Saturday’s ceremony in Los Angeles. Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido was also present with the Kuti family at the event.

Fela’s grandson Made Kuti, who earned a Grammy nomination in 2022, described his grandfather as operating at the same professional level as the greatest musicians in history.

“There are not many people you can trace back as an originator of a style of music that would take that risk and be so creative that it’s really, truly developed into a genre that lives on its own,” Made stated from Lagos on Sunday.

The Lifetime Achievement Award represents the latest in a series of posthumous recognitions for Fela, whose 1976 album “Zombie” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2025.

During his lifetime, the multi-instrumentalist invented Afrobeat by blending Yoruba rhythms with jazz, funk and highlife, creating a revolutionary sound that laid the groundwork for today’s globally successful Afrobeats genre.

Beyond musical innovation, Fela became legendary for his fearless political activism and confrontations with successive Nigerian governments, using his art as a weapon against corruption, oppression and social injustice.

His commune at Kalakuta Republic became a symbol of resistance, while songs like “Zombie,” “Sorrow Tears and Blood” and “ITT (International Thief Thief)” remain powerful political commentaries that resonate decades later.

The Recording Academy’s National Trustees present the Lifetime Achievement Award to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording during their lifetime.

Fela joins an elite 2026 class of honorees including American music legends Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher and Paul Simon, cementing his place among the most influential musicians in global history.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. described the honorees as an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of modern music.

An old interview with late legendary Nigerian musician Orlando Julius has resurfaced on social media, reigniting debates about the origins of Afrobeat amid the ongoing controversy involving award-winning singer Wizkid and Seun Kuti, the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
In the archival interview with Agbaletu TV, Orlando Julius boldly claimed that he pioneered Afrobeat long before Fela Kuti popularised the genre, stating that he began the sound in 1960.
“I started Afrobeat in Nigeria in 1960,” Julius said, adding that “there was never anyone making music in any form close to Afrobeat at the time.”
He traced his musical roots to his childhood in Ikole Ekiti, where he developed an early passion for music through his family and school environment. “I was born in Ikole Ekiti. My dad was Osomalo. That was where I was schooled, and I was one of the band boys of St. Peter’s Anglican School, Ikole Ekiti. Music had been in my blood since then, and my mother played a role in my fondness for music because when we finished eating after getting home from school, I used to sing at night for my mother, who was an Aso Ofi fabric maker,” he recounted.
Julius also expressed gratitude to the late Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for his role in shaping his musical journey. He recalled how Awolowo’s initiative to provide musical instruments helped many young Nigerians learn music professionally.
“When my dad died, I dropped out of high school and left Ekiti for Ibadan when Obafemi Awolowo was the Premier of Western Nigeria around 1956. I devoted my full interest in music in 1957 because Obafemi Awolowo was a music lover who also loved his hometown,” he said.
He added, “He called the Action Group and suggested they buy a lot of musical instruments that could be enough for about 30 bands… That was where I learnt music and where I learnt my first instrument… It was at the place I learnt how to play alto sax, saxophone, and drumset. I play drums very well and also guitar.”
On how he coined the term Afrobeat, Julius explained that the name emerged organically from audiences who were curious about his sound.
“When we started playing in Ibadan… whenever people asked what kind of music we were playing, I always told them it was Afrobeat. The reason I called it Afrobeat was that… I listened to Cuban music, Caribbean music, Kenyan music, South African music, and others. So, I put them all together. That is where Afro comes from. Afro is African, and those people are descendants. That’s how Afrobeat started,” he said.
He also insisted that Fela Kuti was not active in music when he founded his band. “No,” he said when asked if Fela was already singing, adding that he only started hearing about him in 1963. Julius recalled how Fela later joined his band on stage as a guest trumpeter and even recruited some of his musicians when he formed Koola Lobitos in Lagos.
“Every time Fela came, he always played trumpet on our stage… When it was time for him to start his own band called Koola Lobitos, I released three members of my band to follow him to Lagos,” he revealed.
The interview has gone viral again following Wizkid’s controversial remarks about Fela and the ensuing social media feud with Seun Kuti, which reopened conversations about legacy, influence, and the true origins of Afrobeat. While Fela Kuti remains globally celebrated as the genre’s architect, Orlando Julius’ claims highlight the layered and contested history behind one of Africa’s most influential musical movements.

Popular Nigerian music couple Simi and Adekunle Gold have welcomed twins, marking a joyful new chapter in their family life.

The exciting news, which surfaced earlier this year, has been met with an outpouring of love and congratulatory messages from fans, fellow celebrities, and well-wishers across social media. Although the couple have remained characteristically private about the details, the announcement has sparked widespread excitement among admirers of the duo.

Simi and Adekunle Gold, who tied the knot in 2019, are known not just for their musical success but also for keeping their family life largely away from the public eye. The arrival of twins further strengthens their growing family and deepens the love story that fans have followed over the years.

The couple already shared a daughter, Deja, and the birth of twins adds another beautiful layer to their journey as parents. Supporters have praised the pair for balancing stardom with family, often describing them as one of Nigeria’s most admired celebrity couples.

Since the news broke, social media platforms have been flooded with congratulatory messages, prayers, and warm wishes, with many fans expressing excitement and gratitude for the growing family.

As they embrace this new phase of parenthood, Simi and Adekunle Gold continue to inspire fans with their music, love story, and commitment to family.