Entertainment

Timeline: Four Nigerians, Other African Grammy Awards Winners

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

The biggest music event, the Grammy Awards, will be going down with its 66th edition in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a converging of the best of music stars from Africa and around the world, and this year’s edition won’t be any different.

Since the 1960s, the recognition of exceptional projects by African artists has been a tradition, marked by South Africa’s Mariam Makeba becoming the first African artist to receive the Grammy Awards.

Here are 14 African acts that have won Grammy awards.

Makeba (South Africa)

In 1966, South Africa’s Miriam Makeba, also known as Mama Africa, became the first African recording artist to win the Grammy Awards, just seven years after the award was first held.

Makeba won Best Folk Record for her album “An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba,” with American singer Harry Belafonte at the 8th Grammy awards .

Sade Adu (Nigerian-British)

Helen Folasade Adu was born in Ibadan, to a Yoruba-ancestry father and an English mother. She was the lead vocalist for her band, Sade, which bears her name.

In 1986, she won the ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy Awards. She also won the ‘Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocal’ for “No Ordinary Love” (1993), the ‘Best Pop Vocal Album for’ “Lovers Rock” (2001), and the ‘Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocals’ for “Soldier of Love” (2011) at the Grammy Awards.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa)

In 1988, South Africa’s male choral group won the ‘Best Traditional Folk Recording’ for the song ‘Shaka Zulu’.

The group received 17 nominations and won four more Grammy awards: Best Traditional World Music Album for “Raise Your Spirit Higher” (2004), Best Traditional World Music Album for “Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu” (2009), Best World Music Album for “Live: Singing for Peace Around the World” (2013), and Best World Music Album for Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration (2018).

Ali Farka Touré (Mali)

Regarded as one of Africa’s most internationally renowned musicians, Toure received a total of five nominations, winning three times at the Grammy Awards.

He won the Best World Music Album for “Talking Timbuktu” (1994) and the Best World Music Album for “In The Heart Of The Moon” (2005). Following his death in 2006, he was posthumously awarded Best Traditional World Music Album for “Ali and Toumani” (2010) at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

Cesária Évora (Cape Verde)

Évora started as a club singer in the port city of Mindelo and became famous as the “Barefoot Diva,” performing without shoes in tribute to the poor.

She received six nominations, winning the Best Contemporary World Music Album for “Voz dámor” (2004) at the 47th Grammy Awards.

Youssou N’Dour (Senegal)

Ranked as one of the greatest singers of all time, N’Dour helped develop a style of popular Senegalese music known by all Senegambians.

He won the Best Contemporary World Music Album for “Egypt” (2005).

RedOne (Morocco)

Nadir Khayat popularly known as ‘Red One’, is considered one of the most influential record producer artists in contemporary music.

He has eight Grammy Awards nominations, winning Best Dance Recording for “Poker Face” (2010) and Pop Vocal Album for “The Fame Monster” (2011).

Tinariwen (Mali/Algeria/Libya)

The group consists of individuals from the nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara.

They won the World Music Album for “Tassili” (2012) at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Wouter Kellerman (South Africa)
Kellerman is a South African flautist, producer, and composer who explores the versatility of the instrument and fuses classical and contemporary sounds.

He won the Best New Age Album for “Winds Of Samsara” (2015) and the Best Global Music Performance for “Bayethe” (2022) at the 57th and 64th Grammy Awards respectively.

Angélique Kidjo (Benin)

Beninese-French artiste Angélique Kidjo is the African artist with the most Grammy Awards.

She won in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2020, and 2022 in the categories: ‘Best Contemporary World Music Album,’ Best World Music Album (won three times), and Best Global Music Album,” respectively.

Burna Boy (Nigeria)

Nigerian Afrobeats star Damini Ogulu (Burna Boy) is the first Nigerian male artist to win the Grammy Awards for an original work.

Burna Boy won the Best Global Music Album for “Twice As Tall” (2021). At the 66th Grammy Awards, he received four nominations.

Wizkid (Nigeria)

Ayodeji Balogun ‘Wizkid’ is regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest musical acts.

Wizkid won the Best Music Video category, for his collaboration on the track “Brown Skin Girl” with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021.

Black Coffee (South Africa)

“The DJ/producer’s victory represents a shift around ideas of what African musicians are capable of, from traditional genres and folk music to the high-tech world of electronic dance music,” Grammy stated.

Black Coffee won the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for “Subconsciously” (2022) at the 64th Grammy Awards.

Tems (Nigeria)

Temilade Openiyi popularly known as Tems won the Best Melodic Rap Performance for “WAIT FOR U” (Future, Drake & Tems) at the 65th Grammy Awards.

Entertainment

‘There Was No Blueprint For Me’ – Wizkid Claims

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2025

Editor

Nigerian singer Wizkid has sparked controversy after claiming that he had no blueprint while coming up as an artist, despite having emerged through ace singer Banky W’s imprint.

The Ojuelegba crooner made the statement in a snippet of his upcoming HBO documentary Long Live Lagos.

“There was no blueprint for me. I had to build a structure for myself,” he claimed.

His comment sparked debate on social media, with many insisting that it not only downplayed Banky W’s impact on his career but also disrespected the great Nigerian musicians who paved the way for the new generation of artists.

Wizkid, however, admitted elsewhere in the documentary that Fela Kuti inspired him to pursue music.

“Fela Kuti was instrumental to why I believe I could really make music,” he said.

Some of the reactions on X include:

Franko_Nero wrote: “I still vividly remember the day that Bankole [Banky W] announced on a show that he wants to introduce a boy wonder, a germ in the making. Today, this ungrateful child is claiming otherwise. If Banky knew that today would come, I am sure he would have chased him far away.”

Arhcent said: “This guy is erasing the role Banky W and EME played in his career. The person Banky picked from school into the studio is saying ‘I had to build a structure for myself.’ God sees all.”

Duke of Isoko wrote: “If he never built a structure, Banky probably wouldn’t have noticed him. This dude came out with his own style of music, dressing sense, etc., but I understand that English is a problem in this place.”

Sir Dickson opined: “People are debating this with reference to Banky’s impact in his life. There is no real context to that. I believe he was speaking about his style of music. He reinvented himself. Wiz has never denied Banky’s impact, nor can he. Let’s calm down.”

Entertainment

‘I Am Not Shy, I’m Just Laid Back’ – Olamide Addresses Misconception

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2025

Editor

Famous Nigerian rapper Olamide Baddo has addressed the misconception that he is shy.

Speaking in a recent interview with Ada’s Room, Baddo explained that he isn’t shy but laid back.

“One thing I wish people could understand about me is I am not shy, I am just laid back,” he said.

The host asked: “What is the difference between shy and laid back?”

Olamide responded: “Shy is when you don’t have the confidence and the charisma to stand people or look them in the eye or have conversations with them.

“But being laid back is you just don’t want to be bothered. People think I am shy but I am not.”

Entertainment

Why I Stopped Going To Church – Actress Ariyiike Dimples

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2025

Editor

Nigerian actress and media personality, Ariyike Owolagba, popularly known as Ariyiike Dimples, has revealed why she stopped attending church.

Featuring in a recent episode of the Open Up podcast, the movie star shared that she stopped going to church for three years after a church elder questioned her fashion sense.

She stated that the elder told her she would go to hell for wearing a pencil skirt to church, which the elder considered indecent.

The actress said she was frustrated by the experience and quit church.

“In my community church, you see only elderly people. You barely see the young ones. The young ones have gone to other churches. It was too serious. Yes, you can have your doctrines, but there is a way you can simplify it for young people and take them in without judging them.

“The reason I stopped going to church was because I wore a pencil skirt to church and an elderly woman said I will go to hell fire. I was shocked and felt wrongly judged so I stopped going to church for 3 years. And thankfully, I was already out of my parents’ house.

“The woman reported me to my dad. I had to take picture of the skirt and send to my mum to prove that I wasn’t dressing indecently. But my dad believed in the ideology of a community raising a child. So, I chose to avoid the community church so that they won’t see me,” she recalled.

Ariyiike Dimples, however, added that she is still a practicing Christian despite quitting church.