MTV Quietly Drops Best Afrobeats Category as Burna Boy and Tems Land 2026 VMA Nods
Burna Boy performing in Ghana in 2014 (file photo; not from the VMA nominations). Photo: Ameyaw Debrah, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
MTV has removed its Best Afrobeats award after three years with no public explanation, even as Nigerian stars Burna Boy and Tems both scored nominations in other categories for the September 27 ceremony.
MTV has discontinued its Best Afrobeats Video category after three years, offering no public explanation for the decision as nominations for the 2026 Video Music Awards were unveiled. The category's removal follows two consecutive wins by South African artist Tyla in 2024 and 2025, a run that had already sparked debate over how African music is classified at major global award shows.
Despite the category's disappearance, Nigerian stars remain in contention elsewhere on this year's ballot. Burna Boy picked up two nominations for "Dai Dai," his FIFA World Cup collaboration with Shakira, competing for Best Collaboration and Best Latin. Tems earned a nomination for Best R&B for "Raindance," her track with British rapper Dave.
The move has renewed a familiar frustration among fans and commentators who argue that folding African artists back into broader genre categories, rather than recognizing Afrobeats on its own terms, undercuts a genre that has become one of the most commercially significant global music exports of the past decade.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are scheduled for Sunday, September 27, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, airing on CBS and MTV with streaming on Paramount+. Whether Burna Boy or Tems can convert their nominations into wins outside a dedicated Afrobeats category will be one of the night's more closely watched subplots.