Black Sherif secures 2025 BET Awards nomination as Ghana’s only contender

Black Sherif walks London Fashion Week
Ghanaian musician Black Sherif has been nominated in the Best International Act category at the 2025 BET Awards, marking a significant milestone in his growing international recognition.
The ‘Kwaku the Traveller’ hitmaker is up against a diverse line-up of global talent, including Tyla (South Africa), Rema (Nigeria), Ayra Starr (Nigeria), Any Gabrielly (Brazil), Basky (UK), Uncle Waffles (Eswatini), Ezra Collective (UK), Joé Dwèt Filé (France), MC Luanna (Brazil), and SDM (France).
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The full list of nominees was released on 8 May, increasing excitement ahead of the main awards event, scheduled for 9 June. American rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations this year, earning over 10 nods, including Video of the Year for his Drake diss track Not Like Us, and Album of the Year for GNX.
Black Sherif’s nomination marks a return for Ghana to one of BET’s most prestigious categories. In the past, Ghanaian artistes such as Kojo Antwi, D Black, Sarkodie, R2Bees, Stonebwoy, Fuse ODG, Kwesi Arthur, MzVee, and Camidoh have also been recognised by the BET Awards.
Black sherif at Mozama. Pic source: robphotographygh
Although this is Black Sherif’s first appearance in the BET Awards’ main ceremony, he previously earned a BET Hip Hop Award nomination in 2023, which he went on to win—cementing his place as one of Africa’s rising music exports.
Currently, his new album Iron Boy is receiving significant traction, topping multiple streaming charts and reaffirming his relevance in both local and international music scenes.
According to Ghanaian media personality Ebenezer Donkoh (NYDJ), Black Sherif’s nomination is historic. explained.

Black Sherif’s nomination in the Best International Act category makes him the first Ghanaian artiste to earn a nomination in this rebranded category since BET merged the ‘Best International Act: Africa’ and ‘Best International Act: UK’ awards in 2018,

The nomination not only honours Black Sherif’s talent and hard work but also places Ghana firmly back on the global music awards stage.
Black Sherif walks London Fashion Week