Mp3bullet.ng presents Nigerian Albums That Have Received Grammy Awards Nominations.
As the 65th edition of the Grammy Awards draws closer, here are the Nigerian albums that have been nominated in different categories.
Since the earliest days of the Afrobeat, Juju, and other innovative sounds, Nigerian and African performers have consistently received Grammy award nominations and acclaim for their work. Even though it might be difficult to imagine, over 10 albums by talented Nigerian performers have bagged nominations from the Grammys.
Mp3bullet.ng compiles a list of these few Nigerian albums with Grammy Awards nominations.
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‘Love Drum Talk’ by Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde received a Grammy nomination for his album “Love Drum Talk,” which was published on September 23, 1997, by Chesky Records.
The 9 tracks quintessential album was Babatunde Olatunji’s last commercial release and was nominated by the Recording Academy for 1998, for the Grammy award for Best World Music Album.
However, Babatunde has only ever taken home a Grammy for Best World Music Album with Mickey Hart’s album “Planet Drums.”
Odu- Sunny Ade
King Sunny Ade is one of Nigeria’s most prominent Juju musicians. He has received two Grammy Award nominations, each for a different record. He was nominated for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for his album “Syncro System” in 1984 and Best World Music Album for his album “ODU” in 1999.
Despite the fact that not won any of the awards, his influence as one of the first musicians to be nominated makes his accomplishment stand out.
The studio album “Odu” was released by Atlantic Records in 1998. The 11-track project was produced by Andrew Frankel.
Africa for Africa By Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti’s 2010 release of the iconic Afrobeat album “Africa for Africa,” which is full of uniqueness and variety in sound, garnered a Grammy nomination in 2012 for Best Global Music Album. This was Femi Kuti’s second nomination in this category.
‘No Place For My Dream’ By Femi Kuti
The music academy nominated Femi Kuti’s instrumental-heavy afrobeat effort, which was released on June 25, 2013, for a third grammy award in the Best Global Music Album category for the prestigious prize in 2014.
‘Black Times’ by Seun Kuti And Egypt 80
Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 band’s composition “Black Times” was nominated for a Grammy Award in the World Music Category in 2018. ‘The artist published as a CD Album black Times,’ which Strut Records produced in 2018. The visionary artist became the second son of the legendary Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti to receive a Grammy nomination.
‘African Giant’ By Burna Boy
The African Giant, a Burna Boy effort that was released in 2019, earned the gifted singer his first Grammy Award nomination. The “African Giant” album shed additional light on the variety of afrobeats sounds because it was rich in musical diversity and also boasted an excellent number of features.
‘Twice As Tall’ by Burna Boy
With this album, Burna Boy finally achieved a long-time dream and also became bagged two Grammy nominations twice in a row.
After losing to Angelique Kidjo the previous year, the talented musician finally bagged an award for Best World Music Album with the album “Twice as Tall” in 2021.
‘Twice as Tall’, Burna Boy’s fifth studio album was released on August 14, 2020, by Spaceship Entertainment, Bad Habit, Atlantic Records and Warner Music.
The 14-track album featured significant collaborations with artists including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Youssou N’Dour, Anthony Criss, Michael Omari, and numerous other top musicians.
‘Made In Lagos’ by Wizkid
In 2021, Starboy, Wizkid scored nominations for Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance for his smash song “Essence” off the “Made In Lagos” album.
The 14-track album, which was published on October 30, 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records, is Wizkid’s fourth studio album. The album includes well-known musicians including Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projexx, Tems, Damian Marley, and Terri.
The previous year, Wizkid won a Grammy award in the Best Video category for his international collaboration with Beyonce on “Brown Skin Girl.”
‘Legacy +’ by Femi Kuti And Made Kuti
With six nominations for the prestigious Grammy Award from the Recording Academy, Femi Kuti has one of the highest numbers of nominations for an African. Although he has not yet received any awards, the Academy clearly values his work as seen by the frequent nominations.
Here are the albums for which he has received nominations: Fight To Win (2003), Day By Day (2010), Africa for Africa (2012), No Place For My Dream (2014), and “Legacy + (2021)”.
His latest nomination with the ‘Legacy+’, a double album he made with his son Made Kuti and comprises Femi Kuti’s Stop the Hate and Made Kuti’s For(e)ward.
Sodi Marciszewer, a producer who had previously collaborated with Fela Kuti, was responsible for the production of “Legacy +,” which was distributed by Partisan Records.
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‘Love Damini’ By Burna Boy
When the announcement of the nominees for the 65th edition of the Grammy Awards was announced, Burna Boy clinched another nomination at the prestigious awards bringing his overall album nominations to three.
‘Love Damini,’ his 2022 project that got people thrilled about its originality and ingenuity, received a nomination in the Best World Albums category.
The project’s lead single, “Last Last,” became an instant hit and broke multiple records. It also earned him his second Grammy Award nomination in 2023 for Best World Song Performance.
The 19-track Afro-fusion album, which was released on July 8, 2022, the day after the singer’s birthday, featured some of the top stars in the music industry globally, like ED Sheeran, Popcaan, J Hus, and others.