MTV VMAs Drop Best Afrobeats Category, Sparking Debate Among African Music Fans

The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have removed the Best Afrobeats category from the 2026 edition of the awards, a decision that has quickly become a major talking point among African music fans.

The category was introduced in 2023 as Afrobeats continued its rapid rise on the international music scene. It was won by Rema and Selena Gomez for their global hit Calm Down in its inaugural year. South African singer Tyla subsequently won the award twice, taking the honour in 2024 for Water and again in 2025 for Push 2 Start.

The Best Afrobeats category is absent from the nominations announced for the 2026 MTV VMAs, meaning African artists will not compete for a dedicated Afrobeats award at this year's ceremony.

The decision comes at a time when African music, particularly Afrobeats, has achieved unprecedented international visibility.

Why Did MTV Remove the Category?

MTV has not publicly provided a detailed explanation specifically addressing why the Best Afrobeats category was removed.

The change is part of a broader reshuffling of the 2026 VMA categories.

Other categories have also disappeared or been altered this year, including Best Rock, which had existed for more than three decades. At the same time, the VMAs have brought back Best Dance, which had been absent for several years.

That broader restructuring is important because the disappearance of Best Afrobeats does not necessarily mean MTV has decided that African music is no longer important.

However, the timing has understandably raised questions because the category was introduced only three years ago.

Afrobeats Had Been Building a Strong VMA Presence

When MTV introduced the category in 2023, it reflected the growing international influence of African music.

The inaugural nominees included major African and African-linked artists such as Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Libianca and Rema, alongside collaborations involving Selena Gomez and Wizkid.

Rema and Selena Gomez eventually won the first award for Calm Down.

The following year, Tyla won with Water, while the 2025 category featured artists including Asake, Burna Boy, Rema, Tems, Wizkid and Tyla.

The category had therefore become one of the clearest spaces for African artists to compete directly at the VMAs.

Its removal has consequently attracted attention beyond the usual annual awards discussion.

Tyla's Back-to-Back Wins

Tyla became the most successful artist in the short history of the category.

She won Best Afrobeats twice in succession, first for Water in 2024 and then for Push 2 Start in 2025.

Her wins also generated debate because of the wider conversation surrounding the boundaries between Afrobeats and South African amapiano.

Tyla has frequently identified her musical sound with amapiano, while her songs have been recognised within the Afrobeats category at international awards.

That discussion has previously produced strong reactions among Nigerian and other African music fans.

What African Music Fans Are Saying

The disappearance of the category has quickly generated criticism and questions across social media.

Some African music fans are asking why MTV would remove a category dedicated to one of the world's fastest-growing music movements after introducing it only three years ago.

Others have suggested that the decision could be viewed as a sign that Afrobeats has become sufficiently mainstream to compete across broader categories rather than being separated into its own genre award.

There is also a more sceptical reaction from some fans who believe removing the category reduces the visibility specifically given to African artists at one of America's biggest music awards.

Online reactions have included calls for MTV to reconsider the decision, while some users have joked that African artists should simply focus on competing for the bigger general categories.

Not Everyone Sees It as a Setback

There is another way to interpret the change.

Afrobeats is no longer an emerging sound known only to specialist audiences.

Artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Tems, Rema, Ayra Starr and Tyla have established significant international audiences, while African artists increasingly appear alongside major American and European stars.

Burna Boy, for example, has continued receiving international recognition, while collaborations between African artists and global stars have become increasingly common.

From that perspective, some fans argue that African musicians should be judged alongside their international peers rather than placed in a separate category.

The 2026 nominations do include major African connections. Shakira and Burna Boy received a nomination for their collaboration Dai Dai, demonstrating that African artists can still appear in broader VMA categories.

Burna Boy and Shakira's Nomination

The inclusion of Burna Boy alongside Shakira is particularly notable.

Rather than competing in a dedicated African category, the pair are recognised for their collaboration in the wider VMA nominations.

That could support the argument that African music is becoming increasingly integrated into mainstream international award categories.

However, it does not completely answer the concerns of fans who believe a dedicated African category provides visibility for artists who might otherwise struggle to compete against the enormous promotional machinery surrounding global pop stars.

Madonna Leads the 2026 Nominations

The 2026 VMAs will be headlined by Madonna, who leads the nominations with 11.

Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each have seven.

Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each received five nominations.

The ceremony is scheduled for September 27, 2026, in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS, MTV and Paramount+.

Fan voting is already open in several categories and will remain available until September 25, with Best New Artist voting continuing through the ceremony.

What the Decision Could Mean for Afrobeats

The removal of Best Afrobeats creates an interesting moment for African music.

On one hand, losing a dedicated category means fewer opportunities for African artists to compete specifically on the strength of their genre.

On the other hand, the increasing presence of African musicians in mainstream categories could indicate that the industry's global position has changed.

The bigger question is whether MTV's decision represents a temporary restructuring or a permanent change in how the awards recognise African music.

For an industry that has spent years campaigning for greater international recognition, the distinction matters.

The Bigger Picture

Afrobeats has grown from a predominantly West African sound into a global commercial force.

Its influence can be heard in collaborations between African and Western artists, international tours, streaming charts and major award ceremonies.

The fact that the MTV VMAs created a dedicated category for Afrobeats in 2023 was itself evidence of that growth.

Three years later, its removal has created a new debate: has Afrobeats become too big for a separate category, or has African music lost an important platform for recognition?

There is currently no official indication that MTV plans to restore the category.

For African artists, however, the focus may ultimately shift towards winning nominations and awards in the broader categories where they compete directly with the world's biggest stars.

And if Burna Boy's nomination with Shakira is any indication, that transition may already be happening.

What People Are Saying on X

The reaction on X has been largely centred on whether MTV made the right decision.

Some users are unhappy that the category has disappeared so soon after being introduced, arguing that African music deserves continued dedicated representation at major international award shows.

Others have taken a more positive view, suggesting that Afrobeats no longer needs its own box because African artists are now capable of competing in global categories.

A recurring argument is that removing the category could actually encourage African musicians to pursue bigger international nominations rather than being confined to a genre-specific award.

There are also users questioning MTV's decision-making, particularly because the change comes after Tyla won the award in consecutive years.

Importantly, these online reactions represent individual opinions rather than an official position from MTV or the wider African music industry.

Sources

• Billboard — full list of 2026 MTV VMA nominations and leading nominees.

• Associated Press — 2026 VMA nominations, leading artists and ceremony details.

• TimesLIVE — report on the removal of Best Afrobeats and Tyla's back-to-back wins.

• YNaija — analysis of what the removal could mean for Afrobeats.

• The Music — report on the broader restructuring of VMA genre categories.