Angélique Kidjo Becomes First African Honored on Hollywood Walk of Fame

When Angélique Kidjo is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it marks more than a personal triumph—it signals a historic moment for Africa and the global arts. This is not a token of inclusion. It is a long-overdue celebration of African excellence, creativity, and cultural leadership on the world’s most visible stage.

Born in Benin into a family of artists, Kidjo’s journey was rooted in the rich musical traditions of West Africa. Her early days in Cotonou and later in Paris laid the foundation for a genre-defying career that bridges continents and cultures. Singing in Fon, Yoruba, French, and English, Kidjo’s music weaves together the soul of Benin with the pulse of American R&B, funk, jazz, and Latin rhythms.

With sixteen albums, five Grammy Awards, and global recognition from TIME, the BBC, Forbes, and the World Economic Forum, she is not just a musician—she is a movement.

Kidjo’s artistry has always been inseparable from her activism. As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the Batonga Foundation, she has championed girls’ education, women’s empowerment, and social justice across the continent. Through both melody and message, she has used her voice to uplift, to educate, and to challenge.

Before Afrobeats took over global charts, before the world danced to the rhythms of Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems, Angélique Kidjo was already fusing African sounds with modern beats. She wasn’t just blending genres—she was redefining them.

Her collaborations read like a world map: from Burna Boy and Yemi Alade to Alicia Keys, Bono, and Carlos Santana. Through these partnerships, she introduced millions to Africa’s rhythms, languages, and stories—insisting that African music is not peripheral, but central to the world’s cultural soundscape.

“Music gave me the strength to talk about anything,” she has said. And through her songs, Africa’s message of resilience, pride, and power has echoed far beyond the continent.

Kidjo may be the first African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but she walks in the footsteps of giants. This recognition is also for Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, and Hugh Masekela—visionaries who shaped global music yet were never formally honored by the West in this way.

Kidjo stands on their shoulders. Her star lights the way forward, but it also illuminates the path laid down by those who came before—voices of resistance, liberation, and radical beauty.

Kidjo’s honor is not a one-off—it is a signal that Africa’s time is now. It tells young African creators that their stories matter, that global recognition is possible without dilution, and that bold, authentic artistry has the power to move the world.

As Kidjo once declared, “In this world, you have a place everywhere.” Her star is proof.

Hollywood’s nod is not just a tribute—it is an invitation for the world to finally listen to Africa. Not as a trend, not as an influence, but as a leading voice in the chorus of global culture.
 

⭐️Angelique Kidjo is the first African artist in history to be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame!https://t.co/2ByFcbWiiApic.twitter.com/iFkWtnBv03

— Angelique Kidjo (@angeliquekidjo) July 3, 2025