MTV VMAs 2026 Removes Best Afrobeats Category After Three Years

MTV officially unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2026 Video Music Awards, and a major shift in the line-up has quickly become one of the biggest talking points across the global music industry. Organisers have omitted the Best Afrobeats category from the ceremony. The decision marks the end of a short-lived three-year run for the dedicated genre award, leaving the music community to unpack what this change means for African representation on major international stages.

The category was first introduced in 2023 to celebrate the explosive global rise of African sounds. Across its three editions, the Moon Person trophy went to two acts who made history in the space. Rema and Selena Gomez took home the inaugural award in 2023 for their massive global crossover hit “Calm Down“. South African star Tyla followed with remarkable back-to-back victories, claiming the award in 2024 for her viral phenomenon “Water” and again in 2025 for her single “PUSH 2 START“. Rema and Tyla now stand as the only two artists to ever hold the honour.

MTV has offered no public commentary or formal statement detailing why the category was dropped. However, the move is part of a sweeping structural shake-up of the event. A total of nine categories were quietly retired for the 2026 ceremony, including mainstays like Best Pop Artist, Best Rock, Best Group, Push Performance of the Year, Video for Good, and Album of the Year.

The discontinuation also lands in the middle of a broader, ongoing industry debate about how Western awards bodies classify non-Western music. Throughout her wins, Tyla openly pointed out that her sound is built on Amapiano, Pop, and R&B, highlighting how placing the continent’s vastly different styles under one blanket “Afrobeats” label can be limiting. While dedicated categories guarantee visibility for rising talents, industry critics have long argued that isolating African music into a single regional bracket acts as a glass ceiling rather than true integration.

Despite the loss of the standalone field, African heavyweights continue to compete directly inside the mainstream, non-regional categories for 2026. Burna Boy secured two nominations for “Dai Dai”, his global collaboration with Shakira for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, landing in both Best Collaboration and Best Latin. Meanwhile, Tems earned a nomination in Best R&B for her feature on British rapper Dave’s single “Raindance”. The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will take place live on Sunday, 27 September 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, broadcasting live on CBS and MTV while streaming on Paramount+.

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