Burna Boy and Tems Score Three Nominations at the 2026 MTV VMAs | See Full List

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations are in, and Nigerian music is represented by Burna Boy and Tems across three nominations. Burna Boy receives two nods alongside Shakira for “Dai Dai” — in Best Collaboration and Best Latin — while Tems is nominated with British-Nigerian rapper Dave in the Best R&B category for “Raindance.” The ceremony is set for Sunday, 27 September, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Beyond Nigeria, the wider African and diaspora footprint remains strong across the lineup: PinkPantheress scores five nominations for “Stateside + Zara Larsson“, RAYE picks up two, Shaboozey appears in Best Country and Best Cinematography, Tyler, the Creator lands a spot in Best Hip-Hop, and French Montana earns a Best Collaboration nomination.

Burna Boy and Shakira perform their single “Dai Dai” live on stage, securing 2026 MTV VMA nominations for Best Collaboration and Best Latin. Photo Credit: Shakira/Instagram  

One notable change, however, is the absence of the Best Afrobeats category from the 2026 MTV VMAs nominations. Introduced in 2023, the category had three winners across its three editions: Rema and Selena Gomez won the inaugural award for “Calm Down” in 2023, while South African star Tyla won in 2024 for “Water” and again in 2025 for “Push 2 Start.” That means Tyla currently has two MTV Video Music Awards, both for Best Afrobeats.

For Nigerian music fans, Rema remains the Nigerian artist to have won the Best Afrobeats VMA, making history with Selena Gomez in 2023. This year, Burna Boy and Tems carry the Nigerian flag in other genre and collaboration categories instead.

Tyla poses with her Moon Person trophy after winning Best Afrobeats at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Photo…