Five nominees, Burna Boy, Davido, Asake, Ayra Starr, and South African female artiste, Tyla were nominated for the inaugural ‘Best African Music Performance’ at the 66th GRAMMY Awards.
According to the Recording Academy, one of them will take home the GRAMMY for Best African Music Performance as they’ll be making history in the process.
In this category, “City Boy” by Burna Boy, caught the Recording Academy’s attention this year. The song produced by MD$ and Ruuben with a sample from Jeremih’s sultry R&B classic “Birthday Sex,” the stomping, glamorous track reminiscent of late-’90s Timbaland beats highlights the path of influence from hip-hop to Afrobeats.
In the song’s flashy video, Burna Boy rides around the streets of Los Angeles in a yellow Ferrari and matches an iced-out Richard Mille watch with a Wu-Tang Clan durag, paying tribute to hip-hop’s extravagance and braggadocio.
The track also topped the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart in September.
“UNAVAILABLE” by Davido Featuring Musa Keys, is one of the GRAMMY-nominated singles from Davido’s album ‘Timeless ‘ and is no exception in this category. A brighter, smoother take on the sound of Amapiano with triumphant choral vocals on the hook, it features confident verses from Davido and collaborator Musa Keys.
“Amapiano” by ASAKE & Olamide, is another song that was nominated in this category.
The song “Amapiano” works as both a statement on the title genre’s popularity and a subtle flip on its conventions, rearranging elements such as the iconic log drum and combining them with dynamic rapping from Asake and featured artist Olamide. The song’s hook — “Steadily, steadily, heavily, we are getting lit” — is especially irresistible.
Asake, whose rapid rise to fame feels at times like the Afrobeats equivalent of Beatlemania, become massively popular with just two albums under his belt. And speaking of spectacle, earlier this year he became the fourth Nigerian artist, behind Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, to sell out London’s O2 Arena, entering on a helicopter.
“Rush” by Ayra Starr also got the nomination for the category. The song is all about staying focused and grinding toward success.
Ayra Starr sings about the cutthroat nature of the working world with determined fierceness: “I no get the time for the hate and the bad energy / Got my mind on my money.” The track has a distinctive Afrobeats clave rhythm and Nigerian pidgin lyrics, but it has glimmering synths.
“Water” by Tyla, is also one of the nominated songs in this category. Tyla is the youngest nominee on this list and the lone South African artist. She is 21 years old and she is already a star in her home country, having been nominated for two South African Music Awards.
Her song “Water” is the lead single from her upcoming debut EP. The songs could be mistaken for an American pop song if not for the sweltering Amapiano instrumental underneath.
Singing entirely in English, Tyla’s vocal delivery brims with confidence and desire, especially over the chorus — “Make me sweat, make me hotter, make me lose my breath, make me water” — while the song’s sweltering video turns up the heat further.
The ‘Best African Music Performance’ category is one of three newly added categories for the 2024 GRAMMYs Award which serves as a breakthrough for the African music industry, signaling the commercial and cultural prowess of the continent’s music.
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