“Baba Yetu” became the first video-game composition to win a Grammy Award when it won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists in 2011.
Christopher Tin composed the song for Civilization IV, the 2005 strategy game developed by Firaxis Games. Its title means “Our Father” in Swahili, and the lyrics adapt the Christian Lord’s Prayer in that language.
The recording appeared on Tin’s album Calling All Dawns, which was released independently in 2009. The Grammy win recognized the arrangement and performance rather than creating a separate video-game music category.
The result was historically important because the song was first written for a game and became the first music originating in a video game to receive a Grammy. It is sometimes confused with music merely used in games, which does not necessarily have the same origin.