The 68th Grammy Awards came and went on February 2, 2026. And once again, Ghana was completely shut out.
Not a single nomination. Not even a submission that made it to the final voting round.
Meanwhile, Nigeria swept the Best African Music Performance category with Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr, and Wizkid all getting nods. South Africa's Tyla won the award for "Push 2 Start." Uganda's Eddy Kenzo got recognized. Even Benin's Angélique Kidjo secured a nomination.
But Ghana? Nothing.
Black Sherif had submitted his work for consideration in both Best African Music Performance and Best Global Music Album. It didn't make the cut. The Academy's response was essentially: "Thanks, but no thanks."
And look, we can debate whether the Grammys even matter. We can argue that Western validation shouldn't define African excellence. We can point out that the Academy's voting base still heavily favours Western acts, and that institutional biases make it nearly impossible for Ghanaian (and largely certain African) artistes to break through.
All of that is true.
But it's also true that Ghana has world-class artistes who are putting out work that's commercially successful, culturally significant, and sonically innovative. And they're being ignored.
So here are some Ghanaian artistes who absolutely deserved Grammy consideration in 2026—and what their absence says about Ghana's music industry.
1. Black Sherif
Why He Deserved It: Black Sherif is one of Ghana's most-streamed artistes globally. His music has redefined what Ghanaian Afrobeats can sound like—blending trap, drill, highlife, and raw emotional storytelling in a way that feels both local and universal.
His 2024-2025 run included "Sacrifice," one of Ghana's biggest songs of the year, and consistent chart performance across Spotify, Apple Music, and Audiomack. He was even nominated for Best International Act at the 2025 BET Awards, a clear proof that his work resonates beyond Ghana.
Why He Didn't Get It: The Grammys don't just reward talent. They reward campaign strategy. Black Sherif's team submitted his work, but competing against Nigerian megastars with massive label backing, international PR machines, and established Grammy relationships? It's David vs. Goliath. And Goliath has a publicist.
Black Sherif's response to the snub was telling, he is quoted to have said "We need some education" in reference to the kind of industry literacy that strengthens the foundations of a thriving music economy. He's right. Ghana's artists are talented enough. But the infrastructure around them; including label support, Grammy campaign experience, international media relationships, isn't there yet.
The Lesson: Talent alone doesn't get you nominated. You need a machine behind you.
2. King Promise
Why He Deserved It: King Promise won Artiste of the Year at the 2025 Telecel Ghana Music Awards. He dominated 2024-2025 with hits like "Terminator" and "Perfect Combi." He has 463 million streams on Spotify with over 2.2million monthly listeners. He's collaborated with international artistes like Chance the Rapper and he's commercially dominant, critically respected, and has crossover appeal.
If there's a Ghanaian artiste who fits the Grammy's "marketable, internationally viable, commercially successful" checklist, it's King Promise.
Why He Didn't Get It: King Promise makes hits. But the Grammys often reward moments. Take for instance, Tyla's "Push 2 Start" - it wasn't just a song, it was a cultural phenomenon with viral dance challenges and global media coverage. King Promise's music is excellent, but it didn't create that kind of global buzz in 2025.
Also, let's be real: the Best African Music Performance category is dominated by Nigerian and South African artistes. Ghana doesn't have the same institutional Grammy presence. We're fighting for scraps.
The Lesson: Being one of the best in Ghana doesn't automatically translate to Grammy recognition. You have to be the best and create a global moment around yourself too.
3. Stonebwoy
Why He Deserved It: Stonebwoy is an international touring machine. He performs across Africa, Europe, and the U.S. He has cross-genre appeal—Dancehall, Afrobeats, Reggae—and a loyal fanbase that actually shows up. He won Best Reggae/Dancehall Artiste at the 2025 TGMA for a record-equalling tenth time. His "Jejereje" won Best Music Video. He's consistent, professional, and globally recognized.
He's also a Grammy veteran; he's been nominated before, so it's not like the Academy doesn't know who he is.
Why He Didn't Get It: Stonebwoy's 2024-2025 wasn't a defining year. It was solid, consistent, respectable. But the Grammys reward peak moments, not sustained excellence. And in 2025, other African artistes had bigger peaks.
The Lesson: Grammy nominations are about timing. You need your best year to coincide with a year when the competition isn't having their best year. Stonebwoy's time may come, but 2026 wasn't it.
4. Sarkodie
Why He Deserved It: Sarkodie is the GOAT of the Ghanaian music scene, you may disagree but we have all come to accept and crown him the "Landlord". Lyrical excellence in both Twi and English. Consistent output for over a decade. He's an elder statesman of Ghanaian music who still commands attention.
If the Grammys cared about legacy, longevity, and cultural impact, Sarkodie would've been nominated years ago.
Why He Didn't Get It: The Grammys don't care about legacy. They care about what's hot right now. And while Sarkodie is respected, he's not the "moment" artiste in 2025. That title belongs to younger stars like Black Sherif and King Paluta.
Also, Sarkodie's music is deeply rooted in Ghanaian culture; he raps primarily in Twi, his references are local, his sound is highlife-influenced hip-hop. That makes him beloved in Ghana, but it doesn't always translate to Grammy voters who are looking for "globally accessible" sounds.
The Lesson: The Grammys reward global accessibility over cultural specificity. That's not fair, but it's the reality.
5. Shatta Wale
Why He Deserved It: Shatta Wale is a content machine but even he was more methodic with his music release in 2025, and managed to maintain relevancy a highly successful five-track EP release in August 2025. Despite his clashes with the law, he has an unwavering fanbase, relentless output, and international collaborations. He's one of Ghana's most polarizing artistes, but also one of its most successful.
Love him or hate him, Shatta Wale is undeniably a force in Ghanaian music.
Why He Didn't Get It: Shatta Wale's brand is chaotic. He's involved in beefs, controversies, and public feuds on a regular basis. The Grammys tend to reward artistes who are "safe", professionally managed, media-trained, uncontroversial. Shatta Wale is none of those things.
Also, his music is designed for Ghana's streets, not Grammy voters. And that's fine. But it means he's never going to fit the Grammy mold.
The Lesson: The Grammys reward a specific type of artiste. If you don't fit that mold, you're not getting in, no matter how successful you are locally.
6. King Paluta
Why He Deserved It: This is where I cross over into a hot take, but I believe "Foko" was one of the biggest songs in Ghana in 2025. King Paluta was the rising star everyone's talking about. He has street credibility, mainstream appeal, and the youth vote. He represents the new wave of Ghanaian music, fresh, energetic, and culturally rooted. But frankly, he also lost steam in the later parts of the year, fresh from becoming politically aligned with the losing party in the 2024 General Election. And he had his own run-in with fans too.
All that notwithstanding, tf the Grammys wanted to recognize Ghana's next generation of stars, King Paluta should've been on their radar - but I am not even sure he submitted himself for consideration even.
Why He Didn't Get It: King Paluta is too new. The Grammys tend to recognize artistes who've already proven themselves internationally. King Paluta is a local phenomenon, but he hasn't crossed over globally yet. Give him another year or two, and he might have a shot.
The Lesson: The Grammys are reactive, not predictive. They recognize artistes who've already broken through, not artistes who are on the verge.
7. Amaarae
Why She Deserved It: Amaarae is one of Ghana's most internationally recognized artistes. Her sound is genre-fluid—Afro-fusion, R&B, alternative pop—and she's collaborated with top global artistes too. She's critically acclaimed, artistically bold, and has a global fanbase.
She's also been on the 2025 Spotify Wrapped export list, meaning she's one of Ghana's top global exports.
Why She Didn't Get It: Amaarae doesn't fit neatly into the "Best African Music Performance" category. Her music is too genre-bending, too alternative, too avant-garde. The Grammys like clear categories. Amaarae defies them.
She might be better positioned for a nomination in a different category - Best Global Music Album, maybe. But she's never going to win Best African Music Performance because her music doesn't sound like what Grammy voters think "African music" should sound like.
The Lesson: Genre-bending artists often fall through the cracks of Grammy categories. She can't win the "home" categories; and she is too small for the places she could fit.
What This All Means
Ghana's absence from the 2026 Grammy nominations isn't just about individual artistes. It's about systemic issues:
1.Lack of Grammy Campaign Infrastructure Nigeria and South Africa have established relationships with the Recording Academy. Their labels know how to run Grammy campaigns. Ghana doesn't have that yet.
2.Limited International Media Coverage Our artistes don't get the same level of coverage in Billboard, Rolling Stone, or Pitchfork as Nigerian artistes. Grammy voters read those publications. If you're not in them, you're invisible. But what is also reflective of the lack of business structures in the record labels that operate in Ghana. There has to be a consitently considered approach to driving the right PR and visibility for our stars.
3.Genre Categorization Problems The "Best African Music Performance" category lumps 54 countries into one award. Ghana is competing against Nigeria and South Africa. It's not a fair fight.
4.The Academy's Bias Let's be blunt: the Recording Academy is a Western institution with Western biases. African music is still seen as "other." And within African music, certain countries (Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya) get more attention than others.
We had some stars that I feel were truly Grammy-worthy in 2025 but none of them got it. That's partly the Academy's fault, partly the industry's fault, and partly just bad timing. Ghana's artists are excellent with or without Grammy nominations. The work speaks for itself.
But yet still, it would be nice to see Ghana get its due. Maybe 2027 will be our year. Or maybe we'll stop caring about the Grammys altogether and build our own institutions to celebrate African music on our own terms.
Either way, our music industry deserves better.
