Burna Boy leads the pack in 2nd list of MAMA nominees

THE second list of nominees for the upcoming MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) Kampala 2021 spotlights Nigeria’s Burna Boy (pictured) and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz who top the list with three nominations each.

Five talented African musicians — Innoss’B, Master KG, Nomcebo Zikode, Simi, and Wizkid — also topped the second nominees’ list.

Consistent to previous MAMAs, category announcements are phased over several weeks in lead up to the main event on February 20.

e six categories in total announced in the second round of nominations comprise Best Collaboration, Best Alternative, Best Fan Base Award, Best International Act, Personality of the Year and Song of the Year.

e remaining three categories — the MAMA Legend Award, the Video of the Year Award and the MAMA Generation Change Award — will be revealed on the night of the MAMA Kampala 2021.

For the category of Best Collaboration, Burna Boy was nominated twice, for his song Monsters You Made, with global artist Chris Martin, and with South Africa’s Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode for Jerusalema Remix.

Diamond Platnumz also made this list with his collaboration with Innoss’B, Yope Remix. Other nominees in this category include Yemi Alade and Angelique Kidjo for Shekere, Wizkid and H.E.R. for Smile, and Already by Beyoncé, Shatta Wale and Major Lazer.

e Best Alternative category features some of the continent’s most successful alternative artists, including Nigeria’s Adekunle Gold and Simi; Ami Faku, who hails from South Africa; Ghana’s Amaarae; AfrotroniX from Chad and Kenya’s Matata.

e most highly contested category is the Song of the Year, which features 12 nominees in total, including artists from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Equally a heated contest category is the Best Fan Base Award which features a diversity of 10 nominations across the continent from eight countries to compete for fan favourite.

Monde Twala, senior vicepresident and general manager at ViacomCBS Networks Africa, said: “Congratulations to all our nominees who have been recognised as we build-up to the MAMA Kampala 2021 virtual awards ceremony. African artists deserve the recognition and must be celebrated for their commitment and dedication in driving the power of creativity and music to inspire the youth on the continent to take African culture to the world.”

e MAMAs will be broadcast on MTV Base (DStv channel 322) and MTV Africa (DStv channel 130) on February 20 at 9pm CAT. – iol.