Burna Boy and Tems Score Three Nominations at the 2026 MTV VMAs | See Full List

Burna Boy and Tems Earn MTV VMA Nominations as Afrobeats Category Gets Axed

Nigerian superstars Burna Boy and Tems are flying the flag for Afrobeats at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, landing three combined nominations—but there’s a catch. For the first time since its 2023 introduction, the Best Afrobeats category is completely absent from the VMAs lineup, marking a puzzling step backward for African music’s global recognition. The ceremony goes down September 27 at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, and while the African Fela and Tems are still in the mix, they’ll be competing outside genre-specific Afrobeats recognition.

Burna Boy doubles up with two nominations alongside Colombian icon Shakira for their collaboration “Dai Dai,” which scored nods in both Best Collaboration and Best Latin categories. Meanwhile, Tems joins British-Nigerian rapper Dave in the Best R&B race for their smooth track “Raindance.” The African diaspora maintains a solid presence across the board: PinkPantheress leads with five nominations for “Stateside + Zara Larsson,” RAYE collects two, Shaboozey appears in Best Country and Best Cinematography, Tyler, the Creator landed in Best Hip-Hop, and French Montana rounds out the Best Collaboration category.

The removal of Best Afrobeats stings particularly hard given the category’s short but significant history. Rema and Selena Gomez claimed the inaugural trophy in 2023 for “Calm Down,” making Rema the only Nigerian to win the award. South Africa’s Tyla then went back-to-back, winning in 2024 for “Water” and defending her crown in 2025 with “Push 2 Start”—making her a two-time VMA winner in the category. MTV also axed Best Rock, Best Pop Artist, Push Performance of the Year, Best Album, Video for Good, Best Long-Form Video, Best Group, and Song of the Summer from the 2026 slate, while Best Dance makes its return after a seven-year hiatus. Madonna leads all artists with 11 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift’s nine.

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