Tyler, the Creator, Shaboozey, Nigerian Descents Who Won Their Maiden Grammys 

Ferdinard Ekechukwu

I

t is no longer news that Nigerian artistes, Davido, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Omah Lay, and Wizkid lost to South African sensation Tyla, in the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards on Sunday February 1.

The fuss generated following the loss, again to Tyla, has become so widespread that two other notable winners of Nigerian descents were largely ignored.

At the 2026 Grammys, Nigerian-American singer, Shaboozey clinched his first-ever Grammy Award for Best Country/Duo/Group Performance award for ‘Amen’.

The song which appears on America’s Jelly Roll’s album blends contemporary country production with themes of faith, redemption and gratitude. The win marks a major career milestone for the Woodbridge, Virginia-born artiste of Igbo-Nigerian descent, whose sound seamlessly fuses hip-hop, R&B and country music.

It also represents Jelly Roll’s first Grammy Award, underscoring the growing acceptance of genre-bending artistes within country music.

Born Collins Obinna Chibueze, the 30-year-old singer, rapper of Nigerian descent has become more popular due to the backlash trailing his acceptance speech, dedicated to children of immigrants and those who came to the US in search of better opportunity.

Also, Tyler, the Creator, the son of a Nigerian Igbo father and an African-American mother, who is half-Canadian and Multiracial, made history as the inaugural winner of the newly introduced Best Album Cover category for his album Chromakopia. As the creative director, he was recognized for the creative work behind the album artwork spanning the visual, thematic, and artistic design.

Real name Tyler Okonma, Tyler’s Chromakopia cover beat strong competition from albums by Bad Bunny, Perfume Genius, Wet Leg, and Djo. The artwork stood out for its bold and unusual design, as well as how clearly it reflected the message and mood of the album, helping it secure the historic win.

The win is an important moment for the Recording Academy, which announced the Best Album Cover category in June 2025 to recognise and celebrate outstanding album artwork across all music genres. 

Thus underscores the Grammys recognition of album art as integral to musical storytelling. 

The award actually dates back to 1959, the first year of the ceremony, when Frank Sinatra first won for his cover of “Only The Lonely”. While some outlets noted this is a brand new category for 2026, other sources pointed out that similar, earlier, and now-restructured categories previously existed.

This, however, is the first for the specifically titled “Best Album Cover” category.   The ‘Best Album Cover’ award is based on originality, creativity, visual impact, and how well the cover matches the album’s theme and identity, excluding EPs and singles.

Instead of rewarding the singer alone, the category honours the art director or designer who created and guided the final look of the album cover. The goal is to highlight album artwork that stands out and leaves a lasting cultural impression. According to the Recording Academy’s guidelines, the category focuses strongly on originality and creative design.

Many outlets have overlooked the prize’s early history, dubbing Tyler the first artist to ever win the prize. Tyler Gregory Okonma, 35, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, director and actor whose career took off at the age of 14, he taught himself to play the piano.

He has been described as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s and 2020s. In the late 2000s he led and co-founded the music collective Odd Future. Within the group, Tyler participated as a rapper, producer, director and actor, releasing studio albums that he produced for its respective members. Tyler also performed on the group’s sketch comedy show Loiter Squad (2012–2014).

Born in Hawthorne, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, Tyler spent his early life living in Hawthorne before moving to Ladera Heights at 17. At the age of seven, Tyler took covers out of CD cases and creates covers for his own imaginary albums—including a track-list with song lengths—before he could make music.