Black Coffee the South African Electronic Music DJ and record producer won the Best International Act:

The world is still reeling from the glamorous scenes on display last night at the 2016 BET awards, where Beyonce, was Beyonce, winning everything in her path, Bryson Tiller came through in spectacular fashion, and Wizkid, well, Wizkid was beaten by a guy who shares his name with a popular beverage. Black Coffee the South African Electronic Music DJ and record producer won the Best International Act: Africa category, beating the likes of Yemi Alade , (Mama Africa extraordinaire) and Wizkid (the biggest pop music force). Both from Nigeria.

The conversation from this side of the continent and beyond is one of dramatic outrage and bewilderment. How dare Black Coffee steal a march on Wizkid? How dare the man who has recorded with every big name on the international music scene, and currently ruling the charts in UK and USA via a Drake collaboration not be the best thing from Africa? How dare the leader of the new wave of Afrobeat enveloping the world not carry the gong home? These questions, although mixed with a huge sentimental influence are valid, and deserve to be asked. Wizkid has had a phenomenal year in review, with career moves that many acts from the Black continent can only dream of. The man’s achievements are well documented, with each move riding on to the internet by a well- oiled PR machinery. Wizkid have recorded with a list reads like an All-star lineup for some interplanetary music competition. Swizz Beatz French Montana TY DollaSign Tinie Tempah Angelique Kidjo Nico & Vinz Drake Wale Oskido DJ Maphorisa Chris Brown Diplo Mi Casa Efya Mr Eazi R2bees Justin Skye How can he lose the freaking BET Awards after all of this? Enter the man Black Coffee. A South African multi-award winning record producer and DJ. He began his career around the year 1995 and has released five albums and a live DVD under his Johannesburg-based record label, Soulistic Music. He is arguably the most prominent electronic music producer in Africa. He had his big break shortly after being chosen as a participant in the 2004 Red Bull Music Academy held in Cape Town. On the September 29, 2015, he won the "Breakthrough DJ Of The Year" award at the DJ Awards in Ibiza, a few weeks after the release of his fifth studio album, “Pieces Of Me.” That we don’t know such a worthy representative of Africa is not solely our fault, but from a system of societal conditioning carried out by the media, and made to thrive by our abundance of talent. We Nigerians are a sonically arrogant folk, choosing to listen to our music alone, and via tourism and business travels, push it through to the world. Electronic Music, the genre championed by Black Coffee has not penetrated the country, with the only taste of the genre coming from our artistes who appropriate the sound and remix it to fit our narrative. A good example is Davido and Olamide’s ‘The Money’ single. That’s house music right there or Wizkid’s ‘In my bed’ . But regardless, Wizkid ought to have won that trophy. Black Coffee who has performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Ultra Music Festival this year still remains an outsider. He is a champion of a limited genre, while Wizkid is the darling of pop, everyone’s favorite genre. In the wake of this (atrocious) win, a number of theories have risen through the noise and the simmering angry conversations, with the most prominent stating a theory that many have long suspected; Viacom, the organisers of the BET Awards, are carrying out a rotational and balancing act, whereby all music powerhouses of the continent are given a chance to win the gong, regardless of whether they are deserving of such an honour. Recent events, when analysed and given context, tend to fit this theory. The category for Africa was created in 2011, with D’banj and 2face Idibia (both Nigeria) both sharing the award. The next year had Wizkid (Nigeria) and Sarkodie (Ghana) splitting the gong. 2013 saw the process revamped for only solo wins, and Ice Prince (Nigeria) flew high. 2014 was the year of Davido (Nigeria). At this point, Nigeria, via the strength of her pop music had 5 artistes carrying home the award. That’s where the balancing act started. In 2015, Stonebwoy from Ghana, (undeservedly) picked up the award over the popping Yemi Alade. This year, Black Coffee, the first South African, has seen the gods favour him. Perhaps next year it might either return to Nigeria after Wizkid drops his anticipated third studio album, Davido and Sony Music power through a sophomore project, or it might be the year of the Kenyans who would ride home with it on the back of group Sauti Sol. This year also had Cassper Nyovest, the only South African artiste to fill up the Dome, in contention, but it failed to be his big night, says a lot. House Music won over Hip- hop, even within the country that was favored. Others say the award was Wizkid’s for the taking, but his pronounced refusal to associate with award ceremonies and receive his gong at a preliminary show was the cause for his denial. Also, it didn’t help that Nigeria has also benefited from the largess, as rapper Falz picked up the award for the BET Viewer's Choice Best International Act Award. If Wizkid also had been triumphant, that would have been a clean sweep from the West African nation. Who would want that? All these are theories. Perhaps Black Coffee is deserving of it, truly, and this is just ample payment for his hardwork over two decades. Perhaps, he is the best thing in Africa, better than Wizkid, and his Western push for domination.