Late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti is currently topping the vote for the nomination of the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for possible induction as more Nigerian celebrities clamour for support.
The Rock and Roll hall of fame is an America Awards based organisation, who awards and celebrates outstanding rock and rock personals.
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The Water No Get Enemy singer is competing in a 16-man list of nominees, which includes international artistes like Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige and Carole King.
Other nominees are Jay-Z, 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.
Fela is currently leading with 77, 494 votes out of the total votes of 490, 898 as of 4:30 pm on Friday.
Tina Turner in the second position has 57, 787 votes, Foo Fighters has 45,791 votes while Iron Maiden with 35,637 votes and Carole King with 34,461 votes complete the top list.
Kate Bush with 14, 434 has the least votes as of the time of filing this report.
If Fela maintains the momentum, he could be inducted on his first-ever nomination.
Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland, Ohio in the fall.
To be eligible, an individual artist or band must have released his or its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The category would be based on highest votes, where the top five would be inducted into the 2021 hall of fame.
Top Nigerian celebrities, including Banky W, Burna Boy and Don Jazzy have urged their followers to vote for Fela.
“As at last night, Fela had the least votes… Nigerians, Africans, let’s pretend like this is Big Brother Naija and pepper dem. Vote for Fela Anikulapo Kuti for a well-deserved place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, #VoteForFela,” Banky W posted on Twitter on Thursday.
Burnaboy wrote via his official Twitter handle @burnaboy:
“Let’s get the legend FELA KUTI inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!’’
Don jazzy was more emphatic in his demand for votes.
“Come on Nigerians! We can do this. This is our Baba Fela we are talking about
“Vote for Fela Anikulapo Kuti for a well-deserved place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,’’ he said.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti is regarded as the originator of Afrobeat. He came into fame in the ’70s known for his constant criticism of the then military regime in Nigeria. He founded the Afrika Shrine which is seen as an ancestral home for Afro-pop music.
