Shatta Wale and Wizkid nominated for 2021 MTV VMAs

The musicians have been shortlisted for their work on Beyoncé’s 2020 musical film and visual album Black Is King – with Wizkid featuring on ‘Brown Skin Girl’ and Shatta Wale on ‘Already’.

‘Brown Skin Girl’ has been nominated in the Best R&B and Best Cinematography categories, while ‘Already’ received a nod for Best Art Direction. This year, ‘Brown Skin Girl’ won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video and earned the Nigerian a second consecutive NAACP Image Award in March. The song also won the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award at the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards and the Music Video of the Year Award at the same awards ceremony a year later.

The nomination of ‘Already’ makes Shatta Wale the first Ghanaian artist to be nominated at the MTV VMAs. “Thank you. This is for Ghana,” Shatta Wale tweeted after the nominees were announced on Wednesday.

The song, which in 2020 won Collaboration of the Year at the BreakTudo Awards, Song of the Year at the African Entertainment Awards USA and Best Styling in a Video at the UK Music Video Awards, is also up for multiple Music Video Production Association Awards this year.

Justin Bieber leads this year’s nominations with seven, followed by Megan Thee Stallion with six. The two top nominees are up against Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift in the Song of the Year category.

Voting in 14 categories is now open and will close on 3 September. Fans can vote for their preferred nominees here.