Late Afrobeat Legend, Fela Kuti Misses Out As An Inductee Of 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Despite Having Second Highest Vote In Fan Voting Category

By Edna Wande Last updated May 13, 2021

Late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti has missed out as an inductee of 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite coming second in fan vote category with over 500,000 votes.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Ohio, United States. The museum documents the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures who have influenced its development.

To be eligible for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, artists are “required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction.”

Back in February, the Nigerian icon was announced as one of the nominees alongside other veteran stars such as Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Chaka Khan, Carole King, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner, and Dionne Warwick.

At that time, fans of the musician were urged to cast their votes for their favorite stars through April 30, on Hall’s website as the 2021 inductees will be announced in May, with the ceremony to take place in Cleveland in October.

However, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday revealed its 2021 inductees and Fela Kuti missed out despite coming second in the fan vote category ahead of The Go-Go’s, Todd Rundgren, Carole King, Foo Fighters, and others who were selected to be inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

However, it was later discovered that ballots are voted on by more than 1,200 artists, including former inductees, “historians and members of the music industry.”

Giving a reason for the omission, the legend’s son, Femi Kuti stated that there is a ballot voting that counts as the main form of voting and not the fan voting category.

Apparently there’s another vote only members can take part in, and that’s what counts. So they kind of wasted our precious time, the positive side #Fela was trending and many who never heard of him got to hear his music and his story . https://t.co/xhUqFTeZiO

— Femi Anikulapo-Kuti (@Femiakuti) May 12, 2021

The full list of the new class follows below.

Performer Category:

· Foo Fighters

· The Go-Go’s

· JAY-Z

· Carole King

· Todd Rundgren

· Tina Turner

Ahmet Ertegun Award:

· Clarence Avant

Musical Excellence Award:

· LL Cool J

· Billy Preston

· Randy Rhoads

Early Influence Award:

· Kraftwerk

· Gil Scott Heron

· Charley Patton.

The 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 8 p.m at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.