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Leading up to the 66th Grammys Awards on February 4, the Recording Academy, organizers of the awards, unveiled a list of African artists who have won Grammy Awards since the 1960s.
However, the list sparked controversy on social media platforms due to the omission of Nigerian music stars, Wizkid and Tems.
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The rundown highlighted Miriam Makeba as the first African winner of a Grammy Award in 1966, followed by Sade Adu, who became the first Nigerian to win the prestigious award in 1986.
Other African winners on the list included Ali Farka Touré (Mali), Cesária Évora (Cape Verde), Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), Angélique Kidjo (Benin/France), RedOne (Morocco), Tinariwen (Mali/Algeria/Libya), Burna Boy (Nigeria), and Black Coffee (South Africa).
However, the exclusion of Wizkid and Tems, who won Grammys as featured artists, raised questions and prompted discussions on social media platforms. Users speculated about the criteria used to compile the list and expressed confusion about the omission of the Nigerian music superstars.
Wizkid won his first-ever Grammy Award in 2021 for his contribution to “Brown Skin Girl,” a 2019 song by Beyoncé. In 2023, Tems won her first Grammy Award for her role in “Wait for U,” a 2022 hit song by Future featuring Drake.
The 2024 Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place on February 4 in Los Angeles, and the organizers have introduced the ‘Best African Music Performance’ category to recognize African artists. Notable Nigerian artists like Asake, Olamide, Tems, Burna Boy, and Ayra Starr were nominated in this category.
