Once again, African music’s presence at the Grammys was largely sidelined to events before the main telecast, underscoring that “Music’s Biggest Night” remains a predominantly American affair with limited scope for the continent’s vast musical landscape.
The spotlight was narrow. South Africa’s Tyla won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance for “PUSH 2 START,” her second win in this category’s three-year history. Her victory reignited familiar, tedious debates about the “Africanness” of her hybrid pop sound—arguments often fueled by Nigerian bias in Western-facing Afrobeats discourse. The category itself remains problematic, hyper-focused on Afrobeats while nominating only three songs from artists outside Nigeria and South Africa.
Beyond Tyla, the most significant African milestone was a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for Fela Kuti, accepted by his children. This first-time honor for an African artist highlighted Fela’s singular legacy, isolated from the contemporary scene.
Other moments provided scattered representation. Nigerian-American star Shaboozey won a country award, dedicating it to immigrant children. Tyler, the Creator, of Nigerian descent, won for Best Album Cover. The consistent highlight was host Trevor Noah, whose sixth turn was his most audaciously successful, featuring a viral duet with Bad Bunny and a joke about Donald Trump that provoked a threatened lawsuit from the former president—a backhanded compliment to Noah’s impact.
Ultimately, the evening confirmed a persistent truth: while global stars like Tyla champion African music’ worldwide appeal, the Grammys’ structure offers minimal space for its genuine breadth. True celebration remains cordoned off, with Fela’s honor feeling like a monument to past greatness rather than engagement with a vibrant present.
