The 68th Grammy Awards reignited a familiar debate across African social media spaces. Following Tyla’s win in the ‘Best African Performance’ category, many began questioning whether the Recording Academy truly sees African artists as global contenders or simply as cultural representatives meant to stay in a designated lane.
At the center of the conversation was a long-standing frustration: African artists continue to dominate charts, shape global soundscapes, and influence pop culture, yet their recognition at the Grammys remains largely confined to Africa-specific categories.
Inclusion or Containment?
In recent years, the Grammys have made visible efforts to diversify their awards, introducing categories that spotlight African, Latin, and Asian artists. On the surface, this looks like progress. But critics argue that these categories function more as a means of containment than as a means of inclusion.
African artists who perform exceptionally well on global charts like Billboard are still overwhelmingly nominated within the African category, regardless of genre. Afrobeats, R&B, pop, alternative, and dance records often compete only with one another rather than being judged alongside their Western counterparts.
For many Nigerians on X, formerly Twitter, this pattern reflects a broader issue of “othering,” where artists of color are acknowledged, but only within boundaries set by a historically exclusionary institution.
The Grammys and the Legacy of Bias
Despite being nearly seven decades old, the Grammys still frequently frame wins around racial milestones, with phrases like “the first Black artist to” remaining part of its narrative. This reality fuels skepticism about how far the institution has actually come.
Some argue that the Grammys were never designed to fairly represent non-white artists and that expecting systemic change from a historically Western and white-centered award show may be unrealistic. From this perspective, African artists chasing validation from the Grammys is seen as a losing game.
Others counter that since the Grammys position themselves as a global authority on music, they should be held accountable for equitable representation.
Should Africa Build Its Own Global Standard?
As criticism of the Grammys grows, many have turned inward, questioning the state of African award shows. In Nigeria, the decline of the Headies has become symbolic of a larger problem.
A decade ago, the Headies represented a clear benchmark for success. Today, its credibility is widely questioned, prompting artists to prioritize international awards as a means of global validation and exposure.
This has strengthened calls for African creatives to invest in award systems that carry global weight, similar to how Asian music industries have built prestigious institutions independent of Western recognition.
Addressing the “We Do the Same Thing” Argument
One argument that surfaced during the debate suggested that Nigerian award shows also fail to recognize foreign artists. However, this claim was quickly challenged.
In Nigerian award systems, international artists featured on local records are often nominated in genre-appropriate categories rather than in isolated ones. The issue with the Grammys, critics argue, is not the nominations but the restrictions.
African artists are rarely considered serious contenders in mainstream categories unless they are attached to Western collaborators, making solo wins outside Africa-specific categories a rare exception rather than the norm.
Is Change Actually Coming?
Despite the frustration, some remain cautiously optimistic. The Grammys today are more diverse than they were decades ago, with broader voting bodies and increasing acknowledgment of global music movements.
While it remains uncommon for African artists to win outside Africa-focused categories, exceptions have shown that it is possible. These rare moments, however, often feel like anomalies rather than indicators of systemic change.
For many African music fans, the question is no longer whether African artists are good enough, but whether the Grammys are willing to fully accept them as part of the global mainstream rather than cultural guests.
The Bigger Question
As African music continues to shape global pop culture, the pressure on institutions like the Grammys will only increase. Whether African artists will consistently win outside African categories remains uncertain, but the growing refusal to accept symbolic inclusion suggests one thing is clear: the conversation is no longer going away.
