Encomium
AFROBEAT king, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti will be celebrating his fourth Grammy nomination on Thursday, December 12, 2013, at the Afrika Shrine, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.
The saxophonist was nominated for the fourth time for the annual Grammy awards on Friday, December 6, 2013. His latest album, No Place for my Dream got him the nomination under World Music Category. He is vying in that category with Gipsy Kings, Lady Smith, Black Mambazo and Ravi Shankar. Femi Kuti, who was in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State for the 2013 Bayelsa Jazz Festival when the nomination was unveiled is said to be very excited.
His elder sister, Yeni Kuti, who spoke with ENCOMIUM Weekly on Sunday, December 8, 2013, insisted that: “Femi is very excited when we told him and hopefully, we will win this time around. It is not easy to be nominated four times. Win or lose, whatever happens at the end I am happy for him. At least, they will address him as Grammy nominee. That alone is an achievement. It shows his music is being recognized worldwide.”
In 2003, Femi Kuti was nominated for the very first time for Grammy Awards, his album entitled, Fight to Win was really making waves then. But unfortunately, he lost to Panamanian Salsa Ruben Blades. In 2010, he was again nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album, then his album, Day by Day, was just been released and again he lost to US Banjo player, Bela Fleck. The same thing occurred in 2012 when he was nominated for the third time in the Best World Music Album category. Of course, he lost for the third time after many had hoped his album, Africa for Africa would do the magic.
The Grammy Awards which will hold on January 26, 2014, is in its 56th edition.
– FOLUSO SAMUEL
