Dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel, Masicka, Shenseea, Lila Ike, newcomer Ayetian, and Trinidad’s Yung Bredda are the nominees in the Best Caribbean Music Act category of the 2026 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards, which will take place on March 26 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena in the United Kingdom.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the MOBO Awards recognises and champions black music and culture across a wide spectrum of genres and disciplines in the United Kingdom.

Hot streaker Olivia Dean, Little Simz, Jim Legxacy and KWN scored the most nominations with four each, across genre spanning categories.

Vybz Kartel, who was presented with the MOBO Impact Award at last year’s MOBO Awards ceremony, was previously nominated for Best Reggae Act in 2004, 2010 and 2009.

The Best Reggae Act category was instituted in 1996 but was renamed Best Caribbean Music Act in 2022.

This year, Vybz Kartel is also nominated in the Best International Act category.

This is the fifth MOBO nomination for Shenseea.  She won Best Reggae Act in 2021 and Best Caribbean Act in 2025. She also earned a nod in the Best International Act category in 2020.

The MOBO nomination is the first for Masicka, while Grammy nominee Lila Ike collects her third nomination. She was previously nominated in 2020 and 2021.

For Ayetian, who is set to release a new EP in February, this is also his first MOBO nomination. Likewise, it is the first for Yung Bredda, whose The Greatest Bend Ova was one of the biggest soca songs of the past year.