CLEVELAND, OHIO — Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician who pioneered the Afrobeat genre, will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026 in the category of musical influence. The induction ceremony will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame described Kuti as "Fela Kuti was a revolutionary voice who spoke out against injustice through his innovative music — provoking political change while infusing jazz, West African and soul music to pioneer the Afrobeat genre." Kuti, nicknamed the "Black President" for his role as a political and cultural leader, played saxophone, keyboards, guitar, drums and trumpet, and led a band that often had more than 30 members, featuring two bass guitars and two baritone saxophones. "Fela Kuti's music was a fearless voice of Africa — its rhythms carried truth, resistance and freedom, inspiring generations of African musicians to speak boldly through sound," Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour said.

Kuti's music was defined by complex polyrhythms and incorporated traditional African instruments such as the talking drum. He sang almost exclusively in Nigerian Pidgin English and expressed disdain for party tunes and love songs. His compositions could extend to 45 minutes in length, and he released as many as seven albums in a single year while refusing to perform songs live after recording them.

During a 10-month stay in Los Angeles in 1969, Kuti befriended members of the Black Panther Party, and his music became more overtly political afterward. He opposed Nigeria's military dictatorship and South African apartheid. In 1977, following the release of his 1976 album "Zombie," a force of 1,000 Nigerian military members burned his Lagos home and recording compound, destroying his instruments and master tapes. Kuti was beaten unconscious during the attack, and his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, died from injuries after being thrown from an upstairs window. "Zombie" was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, becoming the fourth record by an African artist among the Hall of Fame's 1,165 releases.

In 1979, Kuti ran unsuccessfully for president of Nigeria. He was arrested multiple times by the military government, including at Lagos airport while departing for a U.S. tour. He was sentenced to five years in prison but was held for over a year before being released after the military regime was overthrown in August 1985. Amnesty International classified him as a "prisoner of conscience."

Kuti died of complications from AIDS in 1997. Over one million people attended his funeral. Condom sales increased in Nigeria after news that his death was AIDS-related. Though he was never nominated for a Grammy during his lifetime, his sons Femi and Seun and his grandson Made have received eight Grammy nominations collectively.

His legacy has extended into other art forms. In 2002, the tribute album "Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti" was released, featuring artists Sade, D'Angelo, Nile Rodgers, Questlove and Taj Mahal, with profits going to organizations raising AIDS awareness. In 2009, Jay-Z and Will Smith produced the Broadway musical "Fela!" about his life, which earned 11 Tony Award nominations.