Yeni Kuti, daughter of the late Afrobeats legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has lambasted those comparing her father to other artistes.
Her reaction follows Fela’s posthumous honour at the 2026 Special Merit Awards, where he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artiste to earn the prestigious recognition.
Yeni, who accepted the award on behalf of her father alongside her siblings – Kunle, Shalewa and Femi Kuti at the ceremony held in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2026, was quick to condemn comparisons between Fela and other artistes.
She said; “Don’t compare chalk and cheese. Fela is a legend. Give him his flowers.”
“He’s done his own if you are still talking about him 29 years after his death. And you are comparing, you are not walking dead now. You are not a dead man walking.”
“You are comparing yourself to someone who has been gone 29 years. It’s not a good thing. Compare yourself with your peers or we should compare ourselves with our peers and leave him and leave our legends alone.”
