Grammys to recognise African music, including SA hip-hop and Amapiano

An announcement from the Recording Academy has revealed that the Grammys will be introducing a new category for the 2024 Grammys ceremony.

The new category will recognize the best of African music and has been announced as “The Best African Music Performance” which will include several African genres, including South Africa’s own Amapiano and South African hip-hop, among many others.

“Our goal at the #RecordingAcademy is to recognise and honour the very best in music from across the globe. ✨ Every year, we strive to accurately represent and celebrate the various cultures, influences and genres that shape our world and provide the soundtrack to our lives.” they announced on Instagram.

They also announced that the category will recognise recordings that utilize unique local and expressions from across the African continent – highlighting regional melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic musical traditions.

The other genres in the category include Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Nbombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, and Afro House.

IOL reported that Shawn Thwaites, the general manager of the award show, authorized the new category.

“WE DID IT!! I am honoured to be on the right side of history as the author of the Best African Music Performance category,” he shared on Instagram.

“I would like to thank my supporting cast for all the hard work and dedication on seeing this through.”

““Lastly, Congratulations to Africa for the incredible music that has inspired and entertained people around the world for decades!” he added.

Reacting to the news of Grammys introducing an Africa-specific category, Kenyan veteran musician Nameless, whose real name is David Mathenge, told TRT Afrika: “This is the best news ever. It gives East Africa an opportunity to showcase its talent to the rest of the world. This is definitely a step in the right direction.”