The MTV Video Music Awards have embraced the vibrancy of Afrobeats, introducing a new category to celebrate it. The nominations for the “Best Afrobeats” category features industry stars such as Davido, Rema, Burna Boy, and Wizkid, among others.

Rema & Selena Gomez’s collab, “Calm Down,” is a standout contender, nominated in two other categories, “Best Song” and “Best Collaboration.” The song hit No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, making it Rema’s first entry on the chart and Gomez’s second-highest-peaking hit of her career. It emerged as the number one most streamed Afrobeats song in US history, surpassing CKay’s “Love Nwantiti.”

Ayra Starr joins the ranks with not one, but two nominations – her solo hit “Rush” and her feature on Wizkid’s “2 Sugar.”

Moreover, the other nominees in the category are Burna Boy’s “It’s Plenty,” Davido featuring Musa Keys’ “Unavailable,” Fireboy DML & Asake’s “Bandana” and Libianca’s “People.”

“Best Afrobeats” is the third genre-specific category to be added at the VMAs in this century, following the trails of Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). A nod to evolving tastes, these categories join the ranks of established tributes to rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both 1999).

The 2023 VMAs is scheduled to take place on September 12th, airing live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Voting for the VMAs opens today, August 8th, with most categories closing on September 1st. 

Voting can be done here.