Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
Elevated experiences celebrating the culture through dance and rhythm
Nigeria’s global music dominance continues as Burna Boy and Tems secure three nominations between them at the upcoming 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. The African Giant earned double recognition alongside Colombian superstar Shakira for their collaborative track “Dai Dai,” landing spots in both the Best Collaboration and Best Latin categories. Meanwhile, Tems joins British-Nigerian rapper Dave in the Best R&B race with their soulful offering “Raindance.” The awards ceremony goes down Sunday, September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
This year’s nominations carry a bittersweet note for Afrobeats fans worldwide. MTV has surprisingly eliminated the Best Afrobeats category from the 2026 lineup, despite the genre’s explosive growth and mainstream acceptance. Since its 2023 debut, the category crowned three winners across three editions: Rema and Selena Gomez launched the award with their smash hit “Calm Down,” while South African sensation Tyla claimed back-to-back victories in 2024 with “Water” and 2025 with “Push 2 Start.” The category’s removal marks a puzzling reversal for a genre that continues breaking commercial and cultural barriers globally. Also missing from this year’s slate are Best Rock, Best Pop Artist, Push Performance of the Year, and several other categories, though Best Dance makes its return after a seven-year absence.
Beyond Burna and Tems, the African and diaspora footprint remains visible throughout the nominations. PinkPantheress leads the pack with five nods for “Stateside” featuring Zara Larsson, while RAYE collected two nominations, Shaboozey appears in both Best Country and Best Cinematography, Tyler, the Creator earned a Best Hip-Hop nomination, and French Montana landed in Best Collaboration. Madonna dominates the overall field with 11 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift’s nine, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each secured seven.
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