Wizkid, Tems and Justin Bieber have emerged as the Best Collaboration category winner at the just concluded 2022 BET Awards held at the Microsoft Theater Los Angeles.

Their collaboration ‘Essence’, which topped major charts worldwide, beat Doja Cat and SZA’s ‘Kiss me more’, Drake, Future and Young Thug’s ‘Way 2 Sexy’, among others, to win the category and become the first African song ever to win a BET award and win in a category other than the so-called international category.

Receiving the award, Tems said, “This award is for Wiz, Africa, and I just want to say great thing is happening out of Africa right now, and the light is on everyone there, and this is dedicated to Africa and Nigeria.”

‘Essence’ had surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify. It was released in April 2021 from Wizkid’s fourth album, ‘Made in Lagos’. The release of its remix, which featured Justin Beiber in August 2021, shot to number one on the Billboard charts, earning a Grammy nomination.

This is Wizkid’s second BET award outside the international category. He had previously won the BET HER Award as a featured artiste on Beyonce’s ‘Black Skin Girl’ in 2020 while winning the ‘best international act’ in 2021 and ‘best international act: Africa’ in 2017, 2015 and 2012, emerging as the most awarded Nigerian at the BET Awards.