Fela Kuti nominated for 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Fela was nominated alongside 15 other accomplished artists including Jay-Z, Carole King, Tina Turner, Mary J Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Dionne Warwick.

“This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates,” RRHOF Foundation chairperson John Sykes said in a statement. “These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”

To be eligible for 2021 RRHOF nomination, an artist or band must have published their first commercial recording in 1995 or earlier. 

This year’s voting community will comprise more than 1 000 artists, historians and journalists, among other industry stakeholders. The inductees will be announced in May, followed by an induction ceremony in Cleveland later in the year.

Fans will have an opportunity to participate in the selection process by voting here or at an interactive kiosk at the RRHOF museum in Cleveland. Voting ends on 30 April.

The top five artists selected by the public (the ‘fan’s ballot’) will then be tallied with the other ballots to select the class of 2021.

Fela, who died in 1997, is arguably Africa’s most renowned musical export. He released numerous era-defining albums and was a fearless iconoclast and pan-Africanist. His musical style was an enmeshment of jazz, funk, Ghanaian highlife, psychedelic rock and traditional West African chants and rhythms, and his legacy has been perpetuated globally in literature, theatre and the annual Felabration festival.

In related news, Fela’s son Femi Kuti and grandson Made Kuti on 5 February released a double album titled Legacy +.