Grammy-nominated Nigerian artiste Burna Boy and countryman Rema of MAVIN Records have both been nominated in the Best International Act and Viewers Choice Best New International Act categories respectively at the 2020 Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards.
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Burna Boy’s Best International Act award at the 2019 BET awards is still fresh on our memories as he gets nominated for the prestigious award for the second year running.
The Nigerian artiste who has labeled his music Afrofusion which he explains as Afrobeat music originated by Nigerian legend Fela Kuti infused with contemporary Hip-hop, Dancehall, Reggae, and RNB sounds
Burna Boy’s distinct African sound, deep soothing voice with lyrics reminiscent of the African culture, has seen him rise to become an internationally sought after artiste.
His album African Giant released in July 2019 received good reviews by music critics who commended its cohesiveness and originality of sound.
The album was nominated for Album of the year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Rema on the other hand has been nominated for Viewers Choice Best New International Act. The category honours new artistes making waves around the world and has featured the likes of Teni also from Nigeria and Kwesi Arthur from Ghana in the past.
Rema, who is signed onto MAVIN Records owned by business mogul Don Jazzy, has also taken the African music scene by storm with hits like Beamer, Dumebi, and Bad Commando.
Barack Obama revealed that his song Lady was on his playlist proving how far the new artistes music has travelled.
As many music critics have said, it is a great time for African music with the world tapping into the rich diversity of sounds Africa has to offer.
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Like Burna Boy himself said, in an interview with American based South African comedian and TV host Trevor Noah, when asked why Afrobeat and African music is coming to the fore today, music originated from Africa and it is always going to circle back to its roots because when everything else fails everyone heads home.
The African sound in its purest form is the most beautiful music you can find and the world is finally beginning to realise that.