SHATTA WALE, MOLIY, BLACK SHERIFF SNUBBED IN 2025 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS AS NIGERIA DOMINATES
The announcement of the Best African Music Performance category reveals a clean sweep for Nigerian artists, raising fresh questions about Ghana's global music strategy and visibility.
Ghana’s music industry faces another disappointing year on the international stage, failing to secure a single nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for the 2026 Grammy Awards, as Nigerian artists solidified their dominance in the prestigious list.
The nominee announcement on Friday, November 7, 2025, confirmed a now-familiar pattern. While global superstars like Lamar, Gaga, and Bad Bunny led the overall nominations, the African category was overwhelmingly dominated by Nigeria’s Afrobeats scene.
The 2026 nominees for Best African Music Performance are:
- Burna Boy – “Love You”
- Davido featuring Omah Lay – “With You”
- Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid – “Gimme Dat”
- Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
- Eddy Kenzo featuring Mehran Matin – “Hope & Love” (providing the sole non-Nigerian representation from Uganda)
This outcome marks a significant snub for Ghanaian artists who were considered strong contenders, including Shatta Wale, Moliy, and Black Sheriff. Their absence highlights a persistent challenge for the nation’s music industry, which has struggled to translate its rich domestic success and critical acclaim into Grammy recognition since the category’s inception.
The pattern suggests that Nigerian artists and their industry have successfully cracked the code for capturing international attention and Grammy voters’ favor. Meanwhile, Ghana’s continued absence from the list prompts urgent questions about the effectiveness of its music export strategies, international marketing, and the structures needed to compete on the world’s most prominent musical platform.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Source:NKONKONSA.com
