Vanessa Obioha
When the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) take the stage today, September 7 at the UBS Arena in New York, all eyes will be on Nigeria’s Afrobeats stars. For the third year running, the genre has its own category, and this year, heavyweights Burna Boy, Asake, Wizkid, and Rema are in contention.
Asake earned two nods, including Best Afrobeats for ‘Active’ with Travis Scott and his feature on Tems’ ‘Get It Right.’ Burna Boy also grabbed two nominations: Best Afrobeats for ‘TaTaTa’ featuring Travis Scott, and Video for Good for his socially conscious track ‘Higher.’ Wizkid’s ‘Piece of My Heart’ and Rema’s ‘Baby (Is It a Crime)’ round out Nigeria’s strong showing.
MTV introduced the Best Afrobeats category in 2023 to reflect the genre’s meteoric rise on the global stage. This was shortly after the Grammys’ addition of Best African Music Performance to recognise sounds from the continent. Nigerian artists dominated the nominations then, with Rema making history as the inaugural winner alongside Selena Gomez for the ‘Calm Down’ remix. But in 2024, South African star Tyla disrupted the streak, taking the crown with her worldwide smash ‘Water.’ She returns this year with ‘Push 2 Start,’ while Ghana’s Moliy makes her debut nomination with ‘Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix).’
For Nigeria, reclaiming the crown tonight is about reaffirming Afrobeats’ position as one of the world’s most dominant sounds. With Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Tems and Asake in the mix, the competition promises to be fierce. Who will bring back the crown?
The 2025 VMAs will be hosted by LL Cool J, with a star-studded lineup of performers including Lady Gaga — this year’s most nominated artist — as well as Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Doja Cat, and Sabrina Carpenter
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