MTV Drops Best Afrobeats Category From 2026 VMAs

MTV has left out the Best Afrobeats category from the 2026 Video Music Awards (VMAs), a decision that has raised questions among fans of African music.

The category is missing from the newly announced nominations for the 2026 VMAs, despite being part of the awards for the previous three editions. MTV has not publicly explained why Best Afrobeats was removed from this year’s list.

Best Afrobeats was introduced at the VMAs in 2023 as African music continued to gain more attention around the world. Rema and Selena Gomez became the first winners of the category with their global hit, “Calm Down.”

South African star Tyla later won the award in 2024 with “Water” and again in 2025 with “Push 2 Start.”

The removal comes at a time when Afrobeats and African music continue to enjoy strong international success, making the absence of a dedicated category at the 2026 VMAs particularly noticeable.

African artists are still represented in other categories this year. Burna Boy earned a Best Collaboration nomination alongside Shakira, while Tems received recognition in the Best R&B category.

Best Afrobeats is not the only genre category missing from the 2026 nominations. Best Rock, which has been part of the VMAs in different forms for decades, is also absent this year, with rock acts appearing under the wider Best Alternative category.

With MTV yet to give an official reason for the changes, the removal of Best Afrobeats has sparked conversations about how the VMAs will recognise the genre and its growing global impact going forward.