Big Day for Afrobeat at the Grammys
In 1984, when King Sunny Ade (KSA) earned a Grammy nomination for his album ‘Syncro System’ in the Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording category, the idea of a Nigerian musician achieving such international acclaim seemed like a faraway dream. Despite not winning, KSA’s nomination ignited hope within the Nigerian music community. Two years later, the Nigerianborn British singer Sade Adu won the Grammy award for Best New Artist and in 2002 took the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for her album ‘Lovers Rock.’ By 1999, KSA found himself on the nomination list again, this time for his work ‘Odu.’
The journey didn’t end there. Other notable Nigerian musicians, including Femi and Seun Kuti, the children of afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, followed suit, fetching nominations and further solidifying Nigeria’s presence on the international music stage.
The rise of afrobeats in the late 90s and early 2000s marked a new chapter, with numerous Nigerian music acts breaking into the international market and clinching prestigious awards such as the BET and MTV Base Africa Music Awards (MAMAs). This evolution underscores the resilience and creativity of Nigerian artistes, showcasing their ability to captivate global audiences and reshape the music landscape. While this genre with various influences ranging from afrobeat to hip-hop helped propel many Nigerian music acts into stardom, the notion of associating afrobeats with the Grammys seemed unattainable a decade ago.
Now the landscape has dramatically shifted. Burna Boy’s Grammy win in 2021 signalled a new dawn for afrobeats stars. Not only are they getting nominated but also their collaborative efforts also see them wearing the Grammy winner toga.
This year, the envelope has been pushed further as evidenced by the remarkable feat of five Nigerian afrobeats artists who secured nominations spanning various categories. Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, Olamide and Asake are all basking in the spotlight of music’s biggest night today as all eyes are on them to bring back the goldplated gramophones in any of the categories including the newly introduced Best African Music Performance which they share with other music acts from the continent.
The current spotlight on afrobeats highlights the genre’s evolving global recognition. As all the nominees assemble today at the Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, to know their fate, their journeys are woven into tales of uplifting afrobeats to its current stature.
Other notable Nigerian musicians nominated for their contribution to a body of work considered for a Grammy include Fireboy DML who contributed on Jon Baptiste’s ‘World Music Radio’ nominated for Album of the Year, CKay and Seun Kuti’s appearances on Janelle Monae’s ‘Age of Pleasure,’ also considered for Album of the Year. Below are the prominent afrobeats nominees taking centre stage at the Grammys tonight.
Burna Boy
When Burna Boy boldly declared himself as the African Giant in 2019 before the release of his fourth studio album ‘African Giant,’ skeptics chuckled, dismissing it as mere bravado. Yet, with each passing year, Burna Boy has not only lived up to that moniker but has elevated it to legendary status, etching his name in the golden history books of Nigerian music.
He is the ‘African Giant,’ he is ‘Twice as Tall,’ and of course his fans not only line up for his autograph ‘Love, Damini,’ they also want to experience his essence. Even those who once doubted his towering stature have been silenced by his cheeky reminder, ‘I Told Them.’
In 2012, Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu, burst onto the mainstream music scene with the infectious anthem ‘Like to Party.’ However, it was in 2019 that his ascent to the international spotlight truly intensified when he clinched the Best International Act award at the BET Awards. Since his debut nomination at the 2020 Grammy Awards, Burna Boy has consistently solidified his presence as a regular fixture at music’s most esteemed event.
In a monumental moment for Nigerian music, Burna Boy made history in 2021 as the second Nigerian artist to win a Grammy award for his album ‘Twice as Tall.’
Burna Boy’s growing influence can be attributed to his adept skills at sampling songs as evidenced by tracks like ‘Last Last,’ inspired by American singer Toni Braxton. His latest album, ‘I Told Them,’ continues this trend with tracks like ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World’ featuring 21 Savage, which earned him a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at this year’s Grammys.
As the Grammys unfold tonight, anticipation mounts: will Burna Boy etch his name in history as the most decorated afrobeats artist at the Grammys? With multiple nominations for ‘I Told Them,’ including Best Global Music Album, along with individual nominations for tracks like ‘Alone’ and ‘City Boys’ in Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance categories respectively, Burna Boy stands poised to make a lasting impact on the global music stage.
Beyond winning tonight, Burna Boy will also be performing at the Grammys, a powerful declaration of his glowing status as the Africa Giant indeed.
Ayra Starr
Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, best known by her stage name Ayra Starr, galloped into the music scene in January 2021 with a very impressive eponymous extended play (EP) that housed the breakout hit ‘Away.’ The monumental shift in her music career was preceded by her covering popular songs on her Instagram page until a performance of an original song ‘Damage’ caught the eye of music producer Don Jazzy. The track would later be interpolated into a track titled ‘Toxic’ on her debut full-length studio album ‘19 & Dangerous.’
‘19 & Dangerous’ was released in August of the same year and went on to produce the successful ‘Bloody Samaritan’ which inspired so many viral clips, as well as receiving a remake/cover from the famed Loud Urban Choir. Clearly. The song still stands as her lone official single from the original version of the album, however, it was preceded by the promotional single ‘Fashion Killer.’
With an increasing number of collaborations between Nigerian and foreign acts, Starr recruited a former member of the girl group Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland to work on the remix of ‘Bloody Samaritan’ that would later be released in September 2022. This version appears on the deluxe version of ‘19 &. Dangerous’
Having received so much acclaim for her releases, another single off the deluxe album version, ‘Rush,’ continues to rise in global charts, peaking at number 24 in the UK. This track becomes her first-ever nomination at the Grammy in the category of Best African Music Performance at just age 21, enabling her to set the record for the youngest Nigerian afrobeats artiste to gain a Grammy nomination.
Davido
Considered Wizkid’s peer, David Adeleke’s —popularly known as Davido— walk to Grammy recognition has been a long and enduring one that ended in him earning three nominations at the 66th edition of the globally revered award show.
Tagging alongside Nigerian rapper Naeto C on ‘Back When’ in 2011, a young Davido debuted on the scene, and ever since, the hits kept rolling in. This moderately successful collaboration was followed by the banger ‘Dami Duro,’ an EDM-inspired afrobeats joint that helped make him a household name. Other successful singles included ‘Skelewu,’ ‘Aye,’ and ‘Fall.’
Early into his career, the singer became one of the few artists to snag international and continental collaborations, helping him reach a wider audience. So far, he has collaborated with American acts like Tinashe, Meek Mill, Summer Walker, Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby, and multiple-time collaborator Chris Brown.
With an impressive discography that spans four albums: ‘Omo Baba Olowo,’ ‘A Good Time,’ ‘A Better Time,’ and ‘Timeless’ his latest studio album seemingly has broken his Grammy jinx, scoring him nominations for Best Global Music Album (‘Timeless’), Best Global Music Performance (‘Feel’) where he competes with Burna Boy’s ‘Alone,’ and Best African Music Performance (‘Unavailable’) which goes head to head against entries from Tyla, Burna Boy, Olamide, Asake, and Ayra Starr.
Olamide
Arguably the hardest working musician on this list, Olamide is a moving train that has never stopped since he ventured out with his infectious ‘Eni Duro’ in 2010, and later collaborated with Wizkid on ‘Omo To Shan’ to commercial and critical success.
Renowned for his adept use of Yoruba vernacular in both his songs and collaborations, he has skillfully carved out a niche for himself. This artistic flair is evident across his impressive discography, encompassing a total of nine solo studio albums, the latest of which, ‘Unruly,’ was released last August.
Tonight, Olamide might just be on his way to clinch his career’s first Grammy alongside Asake, both of whom were nominated in the category of Best African Music Performance for their widely successful effort ‘Amapiano.’
Asake
Ahmed Ololade, widely known as Asake, has swiftly risen as one of afrobeats’ fastestrising artistes. Since releasing his debut studio album ‘Mr Money with the Vibe’ just two years ago, Asake’s star has soared to impressive heights. His debut album made waves by breaking the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music and debuting at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking the highest-charting Nigerian debut album in the chart’s history.
An alumnus of the Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University, Asake began sharing his music in 2017 and gained widespread attention in 2022 with the release of the single ‘Mr Money.’ That same year, he joined the esteemed YBNL family, owned by Nigerian rapper Olamide, and secured a distribution deal with Empire.
The following year marked another milestone in Asake’s career with the release of his sophomore album ‘Work of Art,’ preceded by the infectious single ‘Amapiano’ featuring Olamide. The track quickly became a fan favourite, even earning a spot on former U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2023 favourite music list. ‘Work of Art’ also debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200, making it the second time his album has attained that feat. Additionally, his song ‘Lonely at the Top’ from the album garnered attention and led to a collaboration with American singer H.E.R.
With ‘Amapiano’ earning him his first Grammy nomination, Asake’s ascent to the top may not only be swift but also glittering with the prestigious gold-plated gramophone.
“Other notable Nigerian musicians nominated for their contribution to a body of work considered for a Grammy include Fireboy DML who contributed on Jon Baptiste’s ‘World Music Radio’ nominated for Album of the Year, CKay and Seun Kuti’s appearances on Janelle Monae’s ‘Age of Pleasure,’ also considered for Album of the Year.”