The Recording Academy is finally giving flowers where they’ve long been due. As part of its 2026 Special Merit Awards, the Academy announced that Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, and Fela Kuti will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards.
“It’s a true honor to recognize this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres, and the very foundation of modern music,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement, per Billboard. “Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements.”
For Black music lovers, the moment carries particular resonance, especially as two of the honorees, Houston and Kuti, are being recognized posthumously.
Houston, who died in 2012 at age 48, remains one of the most consequential vocalists in music history. Dubbed “The Voice,” she emerged from a lineage of gospel and soul royalty and became a once-in-a-generation superstar. Houston shattered records with seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, then solidified her multi-hyphenate stardom with her portrayal in films like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” By the time of her passing, she had won six Grammy Awards. Now, 14 years after her passing, Houston will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, following in the footsteps of her cousin Dionne Warwick, who received the same honor.
The Recording Academy, which introduced the Best African Music Performance Grammy category in 2024, is recognizing the father of afrobeat, Fela Kuti. The Nigerian artist, who passed away in 1997, pioneered the Afrobeat genre by blending funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and traditional Nigerian rhythms. His work creation would go on to inspire generations of artists and lay the foundation for the modern-day afrobeats fans know and love. Beyond his musical talents, Kuti was a political activist whose outspoken nature and views led to conflict with Nigerian military regimes.
In addition to honoring posthumous icons, the Recording Academy is also honoring living icons, such as Chaka Khan, whose genre-bending voice has earned her 10 Grammy awards. At 72, the “Ain’t Nobody” singer’s influence continues to resonate today.
Houston, Kuti, and Khan join Carlos Santana, Cher, and Paul Simon in this year’s group of recipients. The awards will be presented Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, ahead of the 68th annual Grammy Awards
