MTV VMAs scraps Afrobeats category

The MTV Video Music Awards have discontinued the “Best Afrobeats” category at the 2026 MTV VMAs.
DAILY POST reports that the organisers unveiled the nominees for the 2027 MTV VMAs on Tuesday but the “Best Afrobeats” category was left out.
The “Best Afrobeats” category was introduced in 2023 with Rema and Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ winning, and South African singer Tyla winning back to back in 2024 and 2025 with ‘Water’ and ‘Push 2 Start’, respectively.
Tyla’s consecutive wins sparked uproar on both occasions, with music fans and critics, especially Nigerians, accusing the organisers of “misrepresentation” for awarding a so-called Afrobeats award to a non-Afrobeats artist.
While th...