And The Music Nominees Are ...

The Grammy Awards are just a month away and African artists have swept up a notable number of nominations: six to be exact. Sengalese rapper Akon was nominted for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his single Smack That, featuring Eminem. Also up for a Grammy is the critically acclaimed album Blessed by South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir in the category Best Traditional World Music Album. But the biggest buzz surrounds the Best Contemporary World Music Album where four of the five nominations have gone to Africans: Cameroon's Richard Bona for Tiki, Mali's Salif Keita for M'Bemba, South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Long Walk To Freedom and Mali's Ali Farka Touré for Savane.