Three African artistes, Burna Boy, Diamond Platnumz and Wizkid, will be vying for honors in this year’s Best International Act category at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards 2021 which will take place this Sunday.

The show happening at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, will be the first major live, in-person awards show since the pandemic began.

It will be shown live with physical audience members and American actress, Taraji P. Henson will be the host at the event.

Many artistes like Migos, DJ Khaled, Jasmine Sullivan, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Tyler the Creator and Kirk Franklin. H.E.R. and DaBaby have been lined up to perform.

Swizz Beatz will also pay tributes to DMX, who died in April at the age of 50.

BET Awards is an American award show established by Black Entertainment Television network in 2001 to celebrate African Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment.

2021 BET Award Date, Time and how to watch

The BET 2021 Awards will start on Sunday, June 27 around 8PM EDT/ 7PM CT sharp with pre-show which will kick off around 7PM EDT/4PM CT.

You can watch the live stream of the awards via cable TV subscription or stream via Youtube.

Who are this year’s Nominees?

This year’s most-nominated honorees is Rapper Megan Thee Stallion (who is up in almost every major category she can be) and DaBaby. Both of them have seven nominations each.

Other nominees include Cardi B and Drake, who get five nomination each.

Also, Nigerian artistes Burna Boy and Wizkid and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz are among the nominees in the Best International Act category.

Burna Boy won the Best International Act category in the 2019 and 2020 BET Awards. While Wizkid won it in 2012, when the category had two divisions for Africa and UK.

In 2020, Wizkid also won in the BET HER Award for ‘Brown Skin Girl.’

This is how the nominees are listed this year.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• After Hours – The Weeknd
• Blame it on Baby – DaBaby
• Good News – Megan Thee Stallion
• Heaux Tales – Jazmine Sullivan
• King’s Disease – Nas
• Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle

BEST COLLABORATION

“WAP” – Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion

“Rockstar” – DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch

“Popstar” – DJ Khaled feat. Drake

“Whats Poppin (Remix)” – Jack Harlow feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne

“Cry Baby” – Megan Thee Stallion feat. DaBaby”For the Night” – Pop Smoke feat. Lil Baby & DaBaby

“For the Night” – Pop Smoke feat. Lil Baby & DaBaby

BEST FEMALE R&B / POP ARTIST

• Beyoncé
• H.E.R.
• Jazmine Sullivan
• Jhené Aiko
• Summer Walker
• SZA
• BEST MALE R&B / POP ARTIST
• 6LACK
• Anderson .Paak
• Chris Brown
• Giveon
• Tank
• The Weeknd

BEST NEW ARTIST

• Coi Leray
• Flo Milli
• Giveon
• Jack Harlow
• Latto
• Pooh Shiesty
• BEST GROUP
• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin
• Chloe x Halle
• Chris Brown & Young Thug
• City Girls
• Migos
• Silk Sonic

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST

• Cardi B
• Coi Leray
• Doja Cat
• Megan Thee Stallion
• Latto
• Saweetie

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST

• DaBaby
• Drake
• J. Cole
• Jack Harlow
• Lil Baby
• Pop Smoke

BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD

• “In Jesus Name” – Bebe Winans
• “Never Lost” – Cece Winans
• “Hold Us Together” – H.E.R.
• “Strong God” – Kirk Franklin
• “Thank You for It All” – Marvin Sapp
• “Touch From You” – Tamela Mann

BET HER AWARD

• “So Done” – Alicia Keys Ft. Khalid
• “Baby Mama” – Brandy feat. Chance the Rapper
• “Anti Queen” – Bri Steves
• “Baby Girl” – Chloe x Halle
• “Rooted” – Ciara feat. Ester Dean
• “Good Days” – SZA

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT

• Aya Nakamura (France)
• Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
• Emicida (Brazil)
• Headie One (UK)
• Wizkid (Nigeria)
• Young T & Bugsey (UK)
• Youssoupha (France)

VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD

• “WAP” – Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
• “Go Crazy” – Chris Brown & Young Thug
• “Rockstar” – DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch
• “Popstar” – DJ Khaled feat. Drake
• “Laugh Now Cry Later” – Drake feat. Lil Durk
• “The Bigger Picture” – Lil Baby
• “Savage (Remix)” – Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé
• “Leave the Door Open” – Silk Sonic

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Up” – Cardi B
“WAP” – Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
“Do It” – Chloe x Halle
“Go Crazy” – Chris Brown & Young Thug
“Laugh Now Cry Later” – Drake feat. Lil Durk
“Leave the Door Open” – Silk Sonic

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Benny Boom
Bruno Mars and Florent Déchard
Cole Bennett
Colin Tilley
Dave Meyers
Hype Williams

BEST MOVIE
Coming 2 America
Judas and the Black Messiah
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
One Night in Miami…
Soul
The United States vs. Billie Holiday

BEST ACTRESS
Andra Day
Angela Bassett
Issa Rae
Jurnee Smollett
Viola Davis
Zendaya
BEST ACTOR
Aldis Hodge
Chadwick Boseman
Damson Idris
Daniel Kaluuya
Eddie Murphy
Lakeith Stanfield

YOUNGSTARS AWARD
Alex R. Hibbert
Ethan Hutchison
Lonnie Chavis
Marsai Martin
Michael Epps
Storm Reid

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
A’ja Wilson
Candace Parker
Claressa Shields
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Skylar Diggins-Smith

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Kyrie Irving
LeBron James
Patrick Mahomes
Russell Westbrook
Russell Wilson
Stephen Curry

About this year’s BET Award

Connie Orlando, BET Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy said in a statement that they look forward to celebrate black women during this year’s show.

“The BET Awards is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we look forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show

“Recognizing them for everything that they have accomplished and applaud them for what’s to come.”

The post BET Awards 2021: Burna boy, Wizkid and Diamond Platnumz compete for honors appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

Meet the upcoming artist that found a shortcut to benefit from the superstar’s global fame.

About six months ago, an upcoming artist identified as Nathaniel started creating social media profiles under the pseudonym @WiseKidAya.

He was deliberately infringing on the WizKid Ayo brand name, he did not stop there. He created a replica of Wizkid’s Made in Lagos album and uploaded it to music platforms and he started cashing out almost N30 million a month in streams and sales revenue being shared with him.

He called his own version of Made in Lagos, Lasgidi Made, and most streamers either didn’t notice the difference or clicked on his album in error.

As a result of Wizkid’s popularity, Wisekid was able to garner more than 9 million plays per month from 130k daily listeners.

Everything was going smoothly for him until he started bragging about his popularity on social media, that was when he caught people’s attention who described him as a scammer.

Wisekid’s account has since been deleted on Twitter, and his streaming accounts have also been deleted for copyright violation.

Most music lovers are beginning to ask how this was allowed to happen by streaming companies who allowed copyright materials on their platforms for months and even made payments without the necessary verifications.

One fan wrote: “I don’t even know what to say about this. You mean WizKid and his entire management had no idea of this? Not even his record label? I’m so angry right now.”

Another wrote: “The part that killed me is that he did not even try this with upcoming artistes or smaller artistes.. Wizkid??? Really??? Dfkm”

The post Meet WiseKid, the artist making N30m a month cloning Wizkid’s work appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

They were announced as the winners of the “Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album” of the year category for, Brown Skin Girl.

This feat comes a few weeks after the Nigerian superstar won a Grammy Award for his collaborative effort on the same project.

The award was announced via a tweet by the show organizers on March 26, 2021. 

Congratulations to the 52nd #NAACPImageAwards winners in our Outstanding Recording categories! @theestallion @Beyonce, @Hit_Boy, @wizkidayo, @SAINtJHN, Blue Ivy Carter & @JheneAiko 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾#NAACPImageAwards #OURStories #OURCulture #OURExcellence pic.twitter.com/nSJUBMmPfi

— NAACP Image Awards® (@naacpimageaward) March 26, 2021

The winners were nominated alongside “I Can’t Breathe” – H.E.R., “Anything For You” – Ledisi, “Do It” – Chloe x Halle.

Wizkid and Beyonce had previously won the award for the “Outstanding duo/Group of collaboration” at the 2020 edition of the NAACP Image Awards.

The 2021 NAACP Image Awards crowned winners in more than 60 categories.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP Image Awards recognizes the achievements of people of color in TV, music, literature and film and those who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

A complete list of the awards handed out during the non-televised virtual ceremonies follows.

Outstanding Comedy Series
Insecure (HBO) (WINNER)
#blackAF (Netflix)
Black-ish (ABC)
grown-ish (Freeform)
The Last O.G. (TBS)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Cedric The Entertainer – The Neighborhood (CBS)
Don Cheadle – Black Monday (Showtime)
Idris Elba – In the Long Run (Starz)
Tracy Morgan – The Last O.G. (TBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Deon Cole – Black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
Jay Ellis – Insecure (HBO)
Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Laurence Fishburne – Black-ish (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Marsai Martin – Black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish (ABC)
Natasha Rothwell – Insecure (HBO)
Tichina Arnold – The Neighborhood (CBS)
Yvonne Orji – Insecure (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series
Power Book II: Ghost (Starz) (WINNER)
All Rise (CBS)
Bridgerton (Netflix)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Clifford “Method Man” Smith – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz) (WINNER)
Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
J. Alphonse Nicholson – P-Valley (Starz)
Jeffrey Wright – Westworld (HBO)
Michael Kenneth Williams – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Mary J. Blige – Power Book II: Ghost (Starz) (WINNER)
Adjoa Andoh – Bridgerton (Netflix)
Aunjanue Ellis – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Lynn Whitfield – Greenleaf (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix) (WINNER)
Hamilton (Disney+)
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)
The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special
Blair Underwood – Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix) (WINNER)
Chris Rock – Fargo (FX)
Daveed Diggs – Hamilton (Disney+)
Leslie Odom, Jr. – Hamilton (Disney+)
Nnamdi Asomugha – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special
Octavia Spencer – Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix) (WINNER)
Aunjanue Ellis – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)
Kerry Washington – Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You (HBO)
Tessa Thompson – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) (WINNER)
Aldis Hodge – One Night In Miami… (Amazon Studios)
Clarke Peters – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Colman Domingo – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Glynn Turman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Phylicia Rashad – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix) (WINNER)
Anika Noni Rose – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
Gabourey Sidibe – Antebellum (Lionsgate)
Nia Long – The Banker (Apple)
Taylour Paige – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
The Banker (Apple) (WINNER)
Emperor (Universal Home Video)
Farewell Amor (IFC Films)
Miss Juneteenth (Vertical Entertainment)
The 24th (Vertical Entertainment)

Outstanding International Motion Picture
Night of the Kings (Neon) (WINNER)
Ainu Mosir (ARRAY)
His House (Netflix)
The Last Tree (ArtMattan Productions)
The Life Ahead (La vita davanti a se) (Netflix)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture
Madalen Mills – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix) (WINNER)
Dayo Okeniyi – Emperor (Universal Home Video)
Dominique Fishback – Project Power (Netflix)
Jahi Di’Allo Winston – Charm City Kings (HBO Max)
Jahzir Bruno – The Witches (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix) (WINNER)
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The Banker (Apple)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture)
Nadia Hallgren – Becoming (A Higher Ground Productions and Big Mouth Productions Film for Netflix) (WINNER)
Loira Limbal – Through the Night (Third Shift Media, Inc.)
Melissa Haizlip – Mr. Soul! (Shoes In The Bed Productions)
Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)
Remi Weekes – His House (Netflix)

NIGHT FOUR: Thursday, March 25, 2021

Outstanding New Artist
Doja Cat – Say So (RCA Records/Kemosabe) (WINNER)
Chika – High Rises (Warner Records)
D Smoke – Black Habits (WoodWorks Records / EMPIRE)
Giveon – When It’s All Said And Done (Epic Records)
Skip Marley – Higher Place (Island Records/ Tuff Gong Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Drake – Laugh Now, Cry Later (Republic Records) (WINNER)
Big Sean – Detroit 2 (Def Jam Recordings/G.O.O.D Music)
Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able (Republic Records)
Charlie Wilson – All of My Love (P Music Group/BMG)
John Legend – Bigger Love (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé – Black Parade (Columbia Record/ Parkwood) (WINNER)
H.E.R. – I Can’t Breathe (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)
Jazmine Sullivan – Lost One (RCA Records)
Ledisi – Anything For You (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)
Alicia Keys – Alicia (RCA Records)

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album
Brown Skin Girl – Beyonce’ feat WizKid, SAINt JHN, Blu Ivy Carter (Columbia Record/ Parkwood) (WINNER)
I Can’t Breathe – H.E.R. (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)
Anything For You – Ledisi (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)
Black is King – Beyonce´ (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)
Do It – Chloe x Halle (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Outstanding Album
Chilombo – Jhené Aiko (Def Jam Recordings) (WINNER)
Alicia – Alicia Keys (RCA Records)
b7 – Brandy (Brand Nu/eOne)
Bigger Love – John Legend (Columbia Records)
The Wild Card – LEDISI (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album
Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Tom MacDougall (Walt Disney Records) (WINNER)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Music from the Netflix Film) – Branford Marsalis (Milan)
Insecure: Music from the HBO Original Series – Various Artists (Atlantic Records)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – Various Artists (Atlantic Records )
The First Ladies of Gospel: The Clark Sisters Biopic Soundtrack – Donald Lawrence (Relevé Entertainment)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album
The Return – The Clark Sisters (Karew/Motown) (WINNER)
Chosen Vessel – Marvin Sapp (RCA Inspiration)
Gospel According to PJ – PJ Morton (Morton Inspiration / Tyscot Records)
I Am – Koryn Hawthorne (RCA Inspiration)
Kierra – Kierra Sheard (Karew/RCA Inspiration)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song
Touch from You – Tamela Mann (TillyMann Inc.) (WINNER)
All in His Plan – PJ Morton (Morton Inspiration / Tyscot Records)
Never Lost – CeCe Winans (Pure Springs Gospel)
Something Has To Break – Kierra Sheard feat. Tasha Cobbs-Leonard (Karew/RCA Inspiration)
Strong God – Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental
Music From and Inspired By Soul – Jon Batiste (Walt Disney Records) (WINNER)
Be Water – Christian Sands (Mack Avenue Music Group)
Omega – Immanuel Wilkins (Blue Note Records)
Reciprocity – George Burton (Inner Circle Music)
The Iconoclast – Barry Stephenson (Independent)

Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal
Holy Room – Live at Alte Oper – Somi (Salon Africana) (WINNER)
Donny Duke and Wonder – Nathan Mitchell (ENM Music Group)
Pulling Off The Covers – Mike Phillips (Sono Recording Group)
Stronger – Jeff Bradshaw (Bone Deep Enterprises)
The Eddy (From The Netflix Original Series) – The Eddy (Arista Records)

Outstanding Soul/R&B Song
Do It – Chloe x Halle (Columbia Record/ Parkwood) (WINNER)
I Can’t Breathe – H.E.R. (RCA Records/MBK Entertainment)
Anything For You – LEDISI (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)
B.S. feat. H.E.R – Jhené Aiko (Def Jam Recordings)
Black Parade – Beyonce’ (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)

Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song
Savage Remix – Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé (300 Entertainment / 1501 Certified Ent. LLC) (WINNER)
Deep Reverence feat. Nipsey Hussle – Big Sean (Brand Nu/eOne)
Cool Off – Missy Elliott (Atlantic Records)
Laugh Now, Cry Later – Drake (Republic Records)
Life Is Good – Future & Drake (Epic Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional)
Chloe x Halle – Wonder What She Thinks Of Me (Columbia Record/ Parkwood) (WINNER)
Alicia Keys feat. Jill Scott – Jill Scott (RCA Records)
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis feat. Babyface – He Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout It (BMG)
Kem feat. Toni Braxton – Live Out Your Love (Motown Records)
Ledisi and PJ Morton – Anything For You (Listen Back Entertainment/BMG)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary)
Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé – Savage Remix (300 Entertainment / 1501 Certified Ent. LLC) (WINNER)
Alicia Keys feat. Khalid – So Done (RCA Records)
Big Sean feat. Nipsey Hussle – Deep Reverence (Def Jam Recordings/G.O.O.D Music)
Chloe x Halle – Do It (Columbia Record/ Parkwood)
Jhené Aiko feat. H.E.R. – B.S. (Def Jam Recordings)

Outstanding International Song
Lockdown – Original Koffee (Promise Land Recordings) (WINNER)
Blessed – Buju Banton (Roc Nation Records)
Pressure (Remix) – Original Koffee feat. Buju Banton (Promise Land Recordings)
Tanana – Davido feat. Tiwa Savage (RCA Records/Sony Music U.K./Davido Worldwide Entertainment)
Temptation – Tiwa Savage (Motown Records)

Outstanding Producer of the Year
Hit-Boy (WINNER)
Donald Lawrence
Jathan Wilson
Sean Keys
TM88

NIGHT THREE: Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Outstanding Talk Series
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch) (WINNER)
Tamron Hall (Syndicated )
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)
The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition or Game Show
Celebrity Family Feud (ABC) (WINNER)
Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Shark Tank (ABC)
United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
Voices of Fire (Netflix)

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special)
VERZUZ (APPLE TV) (WINNER)
8:46 (Netflix)
Black Is King (Disney+)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion (HBO Max)
Yvonne Orji: Momma I Made It! (HBO)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
The New York Times Presents “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” (FX) (WINNER)
AM Joy: Remembering John Lewis Special (MSNBC)
Desus & Mero: The Obama Interview (Showtime)
The Color of Covid (CNN)
The Reidout (NBC)

Outstanding Children’s Program
Family Reunion (Netflix) (WINNER)
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Netflix)
Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network)
Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)
We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)
Marsai Martin – Black-ish (ABC) (WINNER)
Alex R. Hibbert – The Chi (Showtime)
Lexi Underwood – Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Lyric Ross – This Is Us (NBC)
Miles Brown – Black-ish (ABC)

Outstanding Animated Series
Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior) (WINNER)
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Central Park (Apple TV+)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (CBS All Access)

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture
Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)
Onward (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Over the Moon (Netflix)
Scoob! (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Trolls World Tour (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)
Laya DeLeon Hayes – Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior) (WINNER)
Aisha Tyler – Archer (FX)
Courtney B. Vance – Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (PBS)
Dawnn Lewis – Star Trek: Lower Decks (CBS All Access)
Deon Cole – Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Netflix)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture
Jamie Foxx – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson aka Questlove – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Angela Bassett – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Chris Rock – The Witches (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Phylicia Rashad – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Trevor Noah – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) (WINNER)
Don Lemon – CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (CNN)
Jada Pinkett Smith – Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)
Joy Reid – The Reidout (NBC)
LeBron James – The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Steve Harvey – Celebrity Family Feud (ABC) (WINNER)
Alfonso Ribeiro – America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)
Iyanla Vanzant – Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
W. Kamau Bell – United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Outstanding Guest Performance – Comedy or Drama Series
Loretta Devine – P-Valley (Starz) (WINNER)
Chris Rock – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Courtney B. Vance – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Dave Chappelle – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Issa Rae – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)
Raynelle Swilling – Cherish the Day (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network) (WINNER) 
Katori Hall – P-Valley (Starz)
Keith Knight – Woke (Hulu)
Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)
Teri Schaffer – Cherish the Day (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Special Award- Founder’s 
Toni Vaz

NIGHT TWO: Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You – “Ego Death” (HBO) (WINNER)
Issa Rae – Insecure – “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself” (HBO)
Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon – Little America – “The Rock” (Apple TV+)
Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher – Never Have I Ever “Pilot” (Netflix)
Rajiv Joseph – Little America – “The Manager” (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Attica Locke – Little Fires Everywhere – “The Spider Web” (Hulu) (WINNER)
Erika L. Johnson, Mark Richard – The Good Lord Bird – “A Wicked Plot” (Showtime)
Jessica Lamour – Little Voice – “Love Hurts” (Apple TV+)
Katori Hall – P-Valley – “Perpetratin'” (Starz)
Tanya Barfield – Mrs. America – “Shirley” (FX)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special
Geri Cole – The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special (HBO Max) (WINNER)
Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin, D. Rodney Carter, Emily Goldwyn, Rob Haze, Zuri Salahuddin, Bennett Webber, Evan Williams, Will Miles – Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month Spectacular (IFC)
Eugene Ashe – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton (Disney+)
Sylvia L. Jones, Camille Tucker – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture
Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix) (WINNER) 
David E. Talbert – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Mike Jones – Soul (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Anya Adams – Black-ish – “Hair Day” (ABC) (WINNER)
Aurora Guerrero – Little America – “The Jaguar” (Apple TV+)
Eric Dean Seaton – Black-ish – “Our Wedding Dre” (ABC)
Kabir Akhtar – Never Have I Ever – “… started a nuclear war” (Netflix)
Sam Miller, Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You – “Ego Death” (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
Hanelle Culpepper – Star Trek: Picard – “Remembrance” (CBS All Access) (WINNER)
Cheryl Dunye – Lovecraft Country – “Strange Case” (HBO)
Misha Green – Lovecraft Country – “Jig-a-Bobo” (HBO)
Nzingha Stewart – Little Fires Everywhere – “The Uncanny” (Hulu)
Steve McQueen – Small Axe – “Mangrove” (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special
Eugene Ashe – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios) (WINNER)
Beyoncé Knowles Carter, Emmanuel Adeji, Blitz Bazawule, Kwasi Fordjour – Black Is King (Disney+)
Christine Swanson – The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)
Chuck Vinson, Alan Muraoka – The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special (HBO Max)
Kamilah Forbes – Between The World And Me (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
Gina Prince-Bythewood – The Old Guard (Netflix) (WINNER)
David E. Talbert – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
George C. Wolfe – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)
Regina King – One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Outstanding Short-Form Series – Comedy or Drama
#FreeRayshawn (Quibi) (WINNER)
CripTales (BBC America)
Lazor Wulf (Adult Swim)
Mapleworth Murders (Quibi)
Sincerely, Camille (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

Outstanding Performance in a Short-Form Series
Laurence Fishburne – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi) (WINNER)
Giancarlo Esposito – The Broken and the Bad (AMC.com)
J.B. Smoove – Mapleworth Murders (Quibi)
Jasmine Cephas Jones – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi)
Stephan James – #FreeRayshawn (Quibi)

Outstanding Short-Form Series – Reality/Nonfiction
Between The Scenes – The Daily Show (Comedy Central) (WINNER)
American Masters – Unladylike2020 (PBS)
Benedict Men (Quibi)
In The Making (PBS)
Inspire Change Series (NFL Network)

Outstanding Short-Form. (Live Action)
Black Boy Joy (Film Independent Project Involve ) (WINNER)
Baldwin Beauty (Powderkeg Media)
Gets Good Light
Home
Mr. & Mrs. Ellis (AMB Productions)

Outstanding Short-Form (Animated)
Canvas (Netflix) (WINNER)
Cops and Robbers (Netflix)
Loop (Pixar Animation Studios)
The Power of Hope (The Power Of Hope)
Windup (Unity Technologies)

Special Award – Spingarn Medal
Misty Copeland

NIGHT ONE: Monday, March 22, 2021

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
The Awkward Black Man – Walter Mosley (Grove Atlantic) (WINNER)
Black Bottom Saints – Alice Randall (HarperCollins Publishers)
Lakewood – Megan Giddings (HarperCollins Publishers)
Riot Baby – Tochi Onyebuchi (TorDotCom Publishing, imprint of Tom Doherty Associates)
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennett (Riverhead Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction
A Promised Land – Barack Obama (Crown) (WINNER)
A Black Women’s History of the United States – Dr. Daina Ramey Berry and Dr. Kali Nicole Gross (Beacon Press)
Driving While Black – Gretchen Sorin (W. W. Norton & Company)
Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America – Michael Eric Dyson (St. Martin’s Press)
We’re Better Than This – Elijah Cummings (HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
We’re Better Than This – Elijah Cummings (HarperCollins Publishers) (WINNER)
A Knock at Midnight – Brittany Barnett (Penguin Random House)
Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World – Cole Brown (Skyhorse)
Lakewood – Megan Giddings (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Compton Cowboys – Walter Thompson-Hernandez (HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
The Dead Are Arising – Les Payne, Tamara Payne (W. W. Norton & Company) (WINNER)
A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team – Arshay Cooper (Macmillan)
A Promised Land – Barack Obama (Crown)
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice – Deborah Draper (Simon & Schuster)
Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player – Willie O’Ree (Penguin Canada)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
Vegetable Kingdom – Bryant Terry (Penguin Random House) (WINNER)
Do Right by Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Space – Valerie Harrison (Temple University Press)
Living Lively – Haile Thomas (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Black Foster Youth Handbook – Ángela Quijada-Banks (Soulful Liberation)
The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith–Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally – Kimberla Lawson Roby (Lenox Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
The Age of Phillis – Honorée Jeffers (Wesleyan University Press) (WINNER)
Homie – Danez Smith (Graywolf Press)
Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry – John Murillo (Four Way Books)
Seeing the Body – Rachel Eliza Griffiths (W. W. Norton & Company)
Un-American – Hafizah Geter (Wesleyan University Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children
She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm – Katheryn Russell-Brown, Eric Velasquez (Lee & Low Books) (WINNER)
I Promise – LeBron James, Nina Mata (HarperCollins)
Just Like a Mama – Alice Faye Duncan, Charnelle Pinkney Barlow (Simon & Schuster)
Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice – Nikki Grimes, Laura Freeman (Simon & Schuster)
The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver – Gene Barretta, Frank Morrison (HarperCollins)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
Before the Ever After – Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin Random House) (WINNER)
Black Brother, Black Brother – Jewell Parker Rhodes (Hachette Book Group)
Dear Justyce – Nic Stone (Crown Books for Young Readers)
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning – Jason Reynolds (Hachette Book Group )
This is Your Time – Ruby Bridges (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture)
Keith McQuirter – By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem (EPIX) (WINNER)
Muta’Ali – Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (HBO)
Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff – Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children (Ep. 1 & 2) (HBO)
Simcha Jacobovici – Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (EPIX)
Yoruba Richen – The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show (Peacock)

Outstanding Writing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture)
Melissa Haizlip – Mr. Soul! (Maysles Documentary Center) (WINNER)
Mary Mazzio – A Most Beautiful Thing (Peacock)
Nile Cone – The Beat Don’t Stop (TV One)
Royal Kennedy Rodgers – Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (PBS)
Yoruba Richen, Elia Gasull Balada, Valerie Thomas – The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show (Peacock)

Outstanding Documentary (Television)
The Last Dance (ESPN / Netflix) (WINNER)
And She Could Be Next (PBS)
Black Love (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (EPIX)
Unsung (TV One)

Outstanding Documentary (Film)
John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures/Participant) (WINNER)
All In: The Fight For Democracy (Amazon Studios)
Coded Bias (7th Empire Media)
Mr. Soul! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
On the Record (HBO Max)

The post Wizkid wins again at NAACP Image Awards 2021 appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

In his congratulatory tweet, the singe also took a swipe at his country’s Music Industry amid reports of bad blood amongst local celebrities.

He wrote: “With All Due Respect Let All other African Nations Give It Up For Nigeria For their Constant efforts in Holding the Mantle for Africa when it comes to entertainment On The Global Scene. Congrats for holding it down at the Grammys.. As for Ghana , smh I’ll be back..”

With All Due Respect Let All other African Nations Give It Up For Nigeria 🇳🇬
For their Constant efforts in Holding the Mantle for Africa when it comes to entertainment On The Global Scene. Congrats for holding it down at the Grammys..
As for Ghana 🇬🇭, smh I'll be back..

— 1GAD (@stonebwoy) March 15, 2021

At the 63rd Grammy Awards held on Sunday, March 14, two Nigerian artists won at the prestigious event, marking a new chapter for Afrobeats.

Wizkid won a Grammy for his work on ‘Brown Skin Girl’ with Beyonce, Saint John and Blue Ivy.

Burna Boy on his part won in the New World Music category with his Twice as Tall album having been nominated nominated last year in the same category when he lost to Angelique Kidjo.

The post Other African Nations should give it up for Nigeria for holding it down at the Grammys – Ghanaian singer, Stonebwoy appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.