STRICTLY EMBAROGED FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL 23:00 CAT, WEDNESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2016
WIZKID, CASSPER, AKA & SAUTI SOL TOP MAMA NOMINATIONS
VIMN AFRICA & MTV BASE REVEAL FIRST NOMINATIONS FOR OCTOBER 22 PAN-AFRICAN MUSIC SPECTACULAR
VOTING LIVE AT
Johannesburg/Lagos, 21 September2016: Wizkid, Cassper Nyovest, AKA and Sauti Sollead the pack in the first round of nominations for the forthcomingMTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016 (MAMA), with an impressive nine nominations between them.
The MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016 is brought to you by Joburg Tourismin partnership with Absolut Vodka and Google and in association with MTN and DStv.
Fifty MAMAnominees including artists and achievers from 18 countries were revealed in 9 key music and lifestyle award categoriesbyViacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa and MTV Base (DStv channel 322) at a star-studded reception at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa last night.
At the front ofthe fieldisNigerian star Wizkid with three nominations including nods in Best Male, Best Collaborationand Personality of the Year. Next in line with two nominations each areAKA (South Africa), Cassper Nyovest (South Africa) and Sauti Sol (Kenya). The hotly contested Best Hip Hopcategory sees MAMA nominations for Emtee and Riky Rick of South Africa, who’ll be going head to head against Nigeria’s Olamide and Ycee, and Kiff No Beat (Ivory Coast).An epic battle of the bands is in store in the Best Group category where Ghana’s R2bees face off against Kenya’sSauti Sol, South Africa’s Mi Casa, Navy Kenzo from Tanzania and Togolese duo,Toofan.
In lifestyle category Personality of the Year, Pearl Thusi goes up against soccer playerPierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), middle distance runner and Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya, blogger Linda Ikeji (Nigeria) and musician Wizkid (Nigeria) vie for Personality of the Year.
The second round of nominations, comprising7additional award categories, including Artist of the Year, Best Female, Listener’s Choice, Best Breakthrough, Best Francophone, Song of the Year in partnership with Google, and Video of the Year, will be revealed at the Hard Rock Café, Lagos, Nigeria duringRoad to MAMA – Lagos 2016(2 October 2016). No nominations will be revealed for the MTV Base Reimagined award, and MAMA Legend.
Commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, “The MAMA celebrates Africa’s incredible young musicians and trailblazers by breaking down barriers, driving engagement, and highlighting the continent’s rich and abundant talent. It’s an honour to be able to salute their achievements at MAMA 2016, and we offer our congratulations to all of the nominees as we look forward to the most exciting and diverse MAMA yet.”
Voting forMAMA 2016 opens at 23.00 CAT on Wednesday 21 September at and affiliated Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Additionally, fans can vote forBest GroupandBest International Actfrom 21 September by simply searching for “MTV MAMA” on Google, with each Google account allowed 5 votes per category per day.Google voting for Best Breakthrough and Song of the Year will open on 2 October. Voting in all categories closes at 23.59 CAT on 19 October 2016.
Guests at the MAMA2016 nominations party were entertained with sizzling performances by Mi Casa, Nathi, Riky Rick, Shekinah, Khuli Chana and Lizha James,while DJs PH, Major League DJz, Tha Duchaz, Prince Kaybee and DJ Snypes kept the dance-floor packed to capacity.The event was attended by a host of artists, celebrities and other glitterati, while MTV Base VJ Sandile and Nomzamo Mbathawere on point at the MAMA podium.
MAMA 2016 NOMINATIONS (PART 1)
Best Male
AKA (South Africa)
Black Coffee (South Africa)
Diamond (Tanzania)
Patoranking (Nigeria)
Wizkid (Nigeria)
Best Live
Cassper Nyovest (South Africa)
Eddy Kenzo (Uganda)
Flavour (Nigeria)
Mafikizolo (South Africa)
Stonebwoy (Ghana)
Best Group
Mi Casa (South Africa)
Navy Kenzo (Tanzania)
R2bees (Ghana)
Sauti Sol (Kenya)
Toofan (Togo)
Best Collaboration in partnership with Absolut
AKA feat. Burna Boy, Khuli Chana & Yanga – "Baddest" (South Africa/Nigeria)
DJ Maphorisa feat. Wizkid & DJ Bucks - "Soweto Baby" ((South Africa/Nigeria)
Nasty C feat. Davido, Cassper - "Juice Back Remix" (Nigeria/South Africa)
Patoranking feat. Sarkodie – "No Kissing" (Nigeria/Ghana)
Sauti Sol feat. Alikiba - "Unconditionally Bae" (Kenya/Tanzania)
Best Hip Hop in association with MTN
Emtee (South Africa)
Kiff No Beat (Ivory Coast)
Olamide (Nigeria)
Riky Rick (South Africa)
Ycee (Nigeria)
Best Pop/Alternative
Desmond & The Tutus (South Africa)
LCNVL (South Africa)
Shekinah (South Africa)/ Kyle Deutsch (South Africa)
Timo ODV (South Africa)
Tresor (DRC)
Best Lusophone
C4 Pedro (Angola)
NGA (Angola)
Lizha James (Mozambique)
Nelson Freitas (Netherlands/Cape Verde)
Preto Show (Angola)
Personality of the Year in association with DStv
Caster Semenya (South Africa)
Linda Ikeji (Nigeria)
Pearl Thusi (South Africa)
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
Wizkid (Nigeria)
Best International
Adele (UK)
Beyoncé (USA)
Drake (Canada)
Future (USA)
Rihanna (Barbados)
Tickets for the MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016are on sale now priced ZAR 250 (standing only) via , at Ticketpro retail outlets or dealers at . Over 18s only.
e.tv and Metro FM are the official South African media partners of the MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016.
For more information on the MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016, please go to or like us on Facebook at or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MTVBaseAfrica. To join the conversation about the awards please use the hashtag #MTVMAMA2016.
ENDS
Further Information,
For further information, high resolution imagery, or downloadable video, please go to, or contact:
VIMN AFRICA
Alison Reid
Email:
Tel: +33 (0)385300636 / Cell: + 33 (0)609 685861
MTV/MTV BASE
Diane Chidrawi
Email:
Tel: +27 (0)11 788 8725 / Cell: +27 (0)82 604 5605
ABOUT MTV
MTV is the world’s premiere youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of nearly 785 million households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all platforms.
ABOUT JOHANNESBURG
Johannesburg, also known as Joburg, Jozi or Egoli (“Place of Gold”), is the economic powerhouse of Africa, gateway to many parts of the world – and home to 4.6 million people. Over 55 international airlines link the city to major centres worldwide, making Johannesburg one of the most accessible centres on the continent. Now proudly taking its place as Africa’s most visited city for three consecutive years (2013, 2014 & 2015 - according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index), Joburg is growing at an unprecedented rate, constantly and continuously transforming itself. Joburg, also offers a plethora of cultural, leisure, sporting, fashion and lifestyle activities that are fast making the city the leading destination for both leisure and business tourists. Joburg’s legendary shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife are complemented by fabulous weather, as well as an astonishing array of facilities including spectacular golf courses, gyms, spas and wellness centres that add to its appeal as a destination.
Aside from being Africa’s Most Visited City, the stature of Johannesburg is underscored by the many accolades that it hasreceived, including:
- The “Most Popular African City” overall for young people aged 15-to-29 in 2015 - Youthful Cities Index
- SA’s wealthiest city
- The Best City in South Africa for Business
- The New Cool Capital of the Southern Hemisphere (GQ Magazine, UK – 2015)
For further information please go to or contact +27 87151 2950
ABOUT ABSOLUT VODKA
On every bottle of ABSOLUT, you will find the portrait of an extraordinary entrepreneur and the founder of the world’s most iconic vodka brand: Lars Olsson Smith. In 1879, at 43, he created the purest vodka that gave birth to the ABSOLUT brand we know today.His superior vodka blend was made out of a distinct character of grain using a revolutionary distilling method called continuous distillation. ABSOLUT’s reputation as a premium vodka applies the simple concept of “One Source”. This means that the sourcing of all natural ingredients to the bottling of the final product is completed at one location to maintain the highest levels of quality and production, i.e.Åhus, Sweden.
ABOUT MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 June 2016, MTN recorded233 millionsubscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at
ABOUT GOOGLE
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more information, visit Google at Google Africa G+ page or the Google Africa Blog: google-africa.blogspot.com. You can also follow Google's Africa team on Twitter: twitter.com/googleafrica.
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