Burna Boy and Tems miss out at VMAs 2026 with no Afrobeats category
Burna Boy and Tems were nominated in general categories at the 2026 VMAs, the first edition since Best Afrobeats was introduced to go without it. Here is who beat them, and where African music still has a dedicated award.
Burna Boy and Tems left the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday 27 September without a win. Both were nominated, but only in general categories: this was the first VMAs without a Best Afrobeats award since the category arrived in 2023.
MTV dropped the category when it announced this year’s nominations in August and has not publicly explained why. So the result is not an Afrobeats “snub” in the usual sense. The two artists were up against the biggest names in pop, R&B and Latin music.
What we know
The official nominations and winners, from Billboard’s full VMAs 2026 list:
- Burna Boy, with Shakira, “Dai Dai”: nominated for Best Collaboration (won by Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter for “Bring Your Love”) and Best Latin (won by Bad Bunny for “NUEVAYoL”).
- Tems, with Dave, “Raindance”: nominated for Best R&B (won by Bruno Mars for “I Just Might”).
- No Best Afrobeats category appears anywhere in the 2026 list of categories.
The ceremony took place at the Peacock Theater, hosted by Snoop Dogg. Madonna was the night’s biggest winner with seven awards, and Taylor Swift won video of the year for “The Fate of Ophelia”.
“Dai Dai” is not a small record to be nominated with. It is the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to FIFA.
What’s reported
- MTV has not given a reason for removing Best Afrobeats, News24 and TimesLive reported when the nominations came out. We found no MTV statement on it.
- Several Nigerian outlets framed Sunday’s result as Burna Boy and Tems “missing out”. That is accurate, but WithinNigeria usefully pointed out that neither lost an Afrobeats race, because there was none.
A short history of Best Afrobeats at the VMAs
The category lasted three editions:
| Year | Winner | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rema and Selena Gomez | “Calm Down” |
| 2024 | Tyla | “Water” |
| 2025 | Tyla | “Push 2 Start” |
That means Rema and Tyla are the only artists ever to win it, a point News24 highlighted in August.
Why the change matters
A dedicated category guarantees African artists a slot on the list and, usually, a moment on the broadcast. Without it, they compete for general awards where the field includes Madonna, Bad Bunny and Bruno Mars.
There are two ways to read this year’s result:
- The cautious reading: no guaranteed slot and no wins suggest the genre lost visibility at the show.
- The optimistic reading: Burna Boy’s two nominations came in mainstream categories for a global hit, which is a different kind of recognition from a genre award.
One year is too little evidence to settle it. Next year’s nominations will say more.
Where African music still has its own award
Other major ceremonies have kept dedicated categories:
- Grammys: Best African Music Performance, introduced in 2024. Tyla has won it twice, for “Water” in 2024 and “Push 2 Start” in February 2026 (News24).
- American Music Awards: Best Afrobeats Artist remains. Tyla won it at the 52nd AMAs on 25 May 2026, according to the official AMAs winners list. Burna Boy, Rema, Wizkid and MOLIY were also nominated, TalkTalkNigeria reported.
The pattern is notable: South Africa’s Tyla has won most of the dedicated awards mentioned in this article, while this year’s Nigerian VMA nominations came in broader categories.
Timeline
- 2023: Best Afrobeats debuts at the VMAs; Rema and Selena Gomez win.
- 2024 and 2025: Tyla wins back-to-back.
- 25 May 2026: Tyla wins Best Afrobeats Artist at the AMAs.
- August 2026: VMAs nominations are announced without Best Afrobeats.
- 27 September 2026: Burna Boy and Tems leave the VMAs without a win.
What to watch next
The next big test is the Grammy nominations, where Best African Music Performance is still a category. We will also watch whether MTV explains the change, or whether a dedicated category returns for 2027.
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