KEY POINTS
- Sade and Fela Kuti become the first African artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an institution founded in 1986
- Sade’s band has sold more than 50 million records worldwide; she was the first Nigerian-born Grammy winner
- Fela Kuti receives a posthumous honor; his children accepted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2026
Helen Folasade Adu, the artist the world knows as Sade, and the late Fela Kuti secured Rock Hall induction Tuesday, making both artists the first Africans the Hall has ever honored in its 40-year history.
Ryan Seacrest and 2022 inductee Lionel Richie revealed the full class live on ABC and Disney+ during the American Idol broadcast. Phil Collins and Billy Idol join Sade and Fela Kuti in the 2026 cohort. More than 1,200 musicians, historians and industry professionals cast votes to elect the class.
Sade’s path from Ibadan to icon
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, in 1959, Sade released her debut album Diamond Life in 1984 and won Best New Artist at the 1986 Grammy Awards, becoming the first Nigerian-born artist to claim that honor.
Her band has since sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and her 2011 world tour grossed hundreds of millions globally. According to Billionaires Africa, her estimated net worth sits between $70 million and $80 million. Beyoncé and Drake both cite her as a direct influence on their sound.
Fela Kuti’s posthumous place in history
Meanwhile, Fela Kuti’s induction arrives nearly three decades after his death in 1997 at age 58. Born in Abeokuta in 1938 and trained at Trinity College of Music in London, Fela created Afrobeat by fusing West African rhythms with jazz and funk, a genre that continues to shape global music. His children Femi, Seun and Yeni Kuti accepted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on his behalf in January 2026.
Furthermore, his estate signed with WME’s Legends division in 2023, and a biopic remains in development. The Broadway musical Fela! ran from 2009 to 2011.
Moreover, both artists transform the Rock Hall induction record by placing Nigeria at the center of popular music’s most storied honor roll.
