Wizkid and Asake have earned a nomination for Best Group at the 2026 BET Awards for their joint EP REAL Vol. 1, making them the first contemporary African artists to compete in that category in the award’s history. The Wizkid Asake BET Awards Best Group 2026 nomination does not come with a qualifier or a regional asterisk. They are on the ballot the same as every other act, competing for the same trophy.
The field they are up against makes the milestone concrete. The Best Group nominees are: Clipse, FLO, De La Soul, Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon, French Montana and Max B, Metro Boomin and DJ Spinz, and Nas and DJ Premier. That is the company REAL Vol. 1 is keeping.
Tems arrives at the 2026 ceremony with three nominations of her own. She is nominated for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, the BET Her Award for “First,” and the Viewers’ Choice Award for “Raindance,” her collaboration with Dave. Three nominations across three separate categories places her among the most recognised artists at this year’s show.
Burna Boy holds a nomination for Best Collaboration for “WGFT,” featuring Gunna. Away from the ceremony, Burna Boy became the first African performer to gross over $3 million on an Oceania tour, a commercial benchmark that sits alongside the recognition he is receiving in Los Angeles. Both facts belong in the same sentence.
The commercial context behind this run of nominations is documented in the IFPI Global Music Report 2026. Recorded music revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa grew 15.2 percent in 2025, reaching $120 million. South Africa holds the largest share of that market. Afrobeats revenue growth is now a measurable line on an industry balance sheet, not a forecast. The culture moved first; the money followed.
The global reach of African artists in 2026 extends to the largest sporting stage on the planet. Shakira and Burna Boy released “Dai Dai” as the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Royalties from the track support the FIFA education fund, tying the record commercially and institutionally to the tournament.
The 2026 BET Awards take place on Sunday, June 28 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. Druski hosts, the youngest person to hold that role in the show’s history. Cardi B leads all nominees with six, including Album of the Year for Am I the Drama?. Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist each hold five nominations. In acting, Ayo Edebiri and Cynthia Erivo are nominated for Best Actress; Damson Idris for Best Actor. The ceremony also introduces two new categories: the Fashion Vanguard Award and the Pulse Award.
