Rabat – Moroccan artists El Grande Toto and Manal Benchlikha have been nominated for The Headies Awards 2022, organized by Nigeria’s Hip Hop World Magazine.
The two musicians were nominated for the Best North African Artist of the Year award, alongside Tunisians Emel Mathlouthi and Latifa, Egyptian Muhamad Ramadan, and Algerian Soolking.
The award ceremony will be broadcast live on September 4, with this year’s 15th edition being held in the United States for the first time, instead of Nigeria.
“After 14 years, I’m thrilled the show is expanding beyond Nigeria,” Headies Awards co-executive producer Ava L. Hall told American music magazine Billboard.
The Headies aim to celebrate the Afrobeats genre, which originated in southern Nigeria. As the popular genre has gained international prominence, the Headies decided to give the genre its own category.
“The Afrobeats movement is truly global and this show is celebrating Pan-African music excellence and the collaborative connection it has made with the U.S. music industry,” Hall added.
Billboard recently launched the U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart, the first ever chart for Afrobeat music in the country.
Nigerian singer Wizkid is leading the nominations this year, with 10 total nods, followed by fellow Nigerians Ayra Starr and Tems.
El Grande Toto is considered by many to be the top name in Morocco’s rap scene. In 2021, he was the most-listened-to artist in the MENA region on Spotify, amassing more than 135 million streams from 178 countries.
He was also the most streamed Arab artist on the platform. His 2021 album “Cameleon” ranked among the top 6 worldwide album debuts on Spotify, an unprecedented feat for any Arab singer.
Manal Benchlikha won Best Female Artist in North Africa at the 2021 AFRIMA awards for the second time in her career. In 2018, her music video for “Taj” became one of the most viewed Arabic rap songs by a female artist.
Read also: When Rap Is Not Only For Men in Morocco
