Nigerian Afrobeats singer Rema made history at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards(VMAs) on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, when he won the Best Afrobeats award. The internationally recognized superstar beat artists like ‘Wizkid,’ ‘Davido,’ and ‘Burna Boy,’ to bag his first-ever VMA.
The artist’s song ‘Calm Down’ remix was also nominated under the Best Collaboration and Song of the Year category, but they lost to other nominees. Rema made sure to acknowledge those who paved the way for him during his acceptance speech. He said :
“I am so happy… shoutout to the people who opened the doors for me. Big shoutout to Fela who started Afrobeats in the first place. 2Baba, Don Jazzy, D’Banj, D Prince, Runtown, Timaya, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido.” “And I want to give a huge shoutout to the new generation of Afrobeats. We are here to take it to the rest of the world.”
