Tems Wins NAACP Image Award With Cover Of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’

For the second year in a row, Nigerian singer Tems has won the NAACP Image Award for Oustanding International Song, this time for her cover of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry.

The announcement was made on Monday, during Night One of the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

The other nominated songs in the category were Diana, a collaboration between Nigerian singer Fireboy DML, American singer Chris Brown and Jamaican singer Shenseea, Bad to Me by Wizkid, Last Last by Burna Boy, and Stand Strong by Davido and Sunday Service Choir.

Wizkid, Tems, and Justin Bieber’s Essence had won the award for Outstanding International Song in 2022, while Koffee‘s summer hit Lockdown had won in 2021.

Tems’ Bob Marley cover, produced by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake), was initially featured in a teaser trailer for the MCU film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

It was later released on July 25, 2022, on a three-track prologue soundtrack for the film, along with A Body, A Coffin by Amaarae and Soy by Santa Fe Klan.

In August last year, the song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart, and at No. 7 on the US Afrobeats Songs Chart.

Neither Bob’s original song, nor any of its over 70+ covers had previously entered a Billboard chart.

Written by Marley and his friend Vincent “Tata” Ford, the original song was first released on October 25, 1974, on the Natty Dread album.

A year later a live recording of the track from the album Live!, which took place at the Lyceum Theatre in London during Marley’s Natty Dread Tour, was released as a single.  It spent nine weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 22, and became the best-known version of the song.  It was included in several compilation albums, including the Diamond-selling Legend in 1984.

An official music video for the Lyceum recording was released in honor of International Reggae Day in July 2020.  It has since amassed over 27 million views on YouTube.

Meanwhile, another official live recording of the song, at London’s Rainbow Theatre in 1977, has over 34 million views on YouTube.  A 1979 live performance of the song at the Amandla Festival at Harvard Stadium in Boston, MA has over 166 million views on YouTube. 

In April last year, No Woman, No Cry became the fifth Bob Marley & The Wailers single to be certified platinum in the UK.

Jamming  (1977),  Is This Love  (1978), and  Could You Be Loved  (1980) are all currently certified platinum, having sold more than 600,000 units each, while  Three Little Birds was certified double platinum earlier this year after it sold more than 1,200,000 units in the country.

The NAACP Image Awards is an annual event presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) to recognize exceptional performances in various forms of media, including film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to other awards such as the Oscars and the Grammys, the Image Awards has over 40 categories that are voted on by members of the NAACP.

A complete list of the awards handed out the first night follows.

Outstanding International Song
“Bad To Me” – Wizkid (RCA Records/Starboy/Sony Music International)
Diana feat. Shenseea – Fireboy DML, Chris Brown (YBNL Nation / EMPIRE)
“Last Last” – Burna Boy (Atlantic Records)
“No Woman No Cry” – Tems (Def Jam Recordings) (WINNER)
“Stand Strong” – Davido feat. Sunday Service Choir (RCA Records/Sony Music UK)

Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental
Detour – Boney James (Concord Records)
Henry Franklin: Jazz Is Dead 014  – Henry Franklin, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge (WINNER)
The Funk Will Prevail – Kaelin Ellis (NCH Music)
The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni – Javon Jackson (Solid Jackson Records)
Thrill Ride – Ragan Whiteside (Randis Music)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song
“All in Your Hands” – Marvin Sapp (Elev8 Media & Entertainment LLC)
“Fly (Y.M.M.F.)” – Tennessee State University (TSU/Tymple)
“Positive” – Erica Campbell (My Block Inc.) (WINNER)
“Whole World In His Hands” – MAJOR. (MNRK Music Group)
“Your World” – Jonathan McReynolds (MNRK Music Group)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album
All Things New – Tye Tribbett (Motown Gospel)
Hymns – Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Motown Gospel)
Kingdom Book One – Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin (Tribl Records, Fo Yo Soul Recordings and RCA Inspiration) (WINNER)
My Life – James Fortune (FIYA World/MNRK Music Group)
The Urban Hymnal – Tennessee State University (TSU/Tymple)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional)
Kendrick Lamar feat. Blxst & Amanda Reifer – “Die Hard” (pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)
Mary J. Blige feat. H.E.R. – “Good Morning Gorgeous Remix” (300)
PJ Morton feat. Alex Isley and Jill Scott – “Still Believe” (Morton Records)
Silk Sonic – “Love’s Train” (Atlantic Records) (WINNER)
Summer Walker, Cardi B, and SZA – “No Love” (LVRN/Interscope Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary)
Beyoncé feat. Grace Jones and Tems – “MOVE” (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment)
Chris Brown feat. Wizkid – “Call Me Every Day” (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment) (WINNER)
City Girls feat. Usher – “Good Love” (Motown Records/Quality Control Music)
Future feat. Drake and Tems – “Wait For U” (Epic Records)
Latto feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled – “Big Energy (Remix)” (RCA Records)

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album
“About Damn Time” – Lizzo (Atlantic Records)
“Be Alive” – Beyoncé (Columbia Records/ Parkwood Entertainment)
“Lift Me Up” – Rihanna (Def Jam Recordings) (WINNER)
LORD FORGIVE ME feat. FAT, Pharrell and OLU of EARTHGANG – TOBE NWIGWE (THE GOOD STEWARDS COLLECTIVE)
The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar (pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By – Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Dave Jordan (Hollywood Records) (WINNER)
Bridgerton Season Two (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) – Kris Bowers (Capitol Records)
Entergalactic – Kid Cudi (Republic Records)
P-Valley: Season 2 (Music From the Original TV Series) – Various Artists (Lions Gate Records)
The Woman King – Terence Blanchard (Milan Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Brent Faiyaz – Wasteland (Lost Kids)
Burna Boy – Love, Damini (Atlantic Records)
Chris Brown – Breezy (Deluxe) (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment) (WINNER)
Drake – Honestly, Nevermind (OVO/Republic Records)
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
Ari Lennox – age/sex/location (Dreamville/Interscope Records)
Beyoncé – Renaissance (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment) (WINNER)
Chlöe – Surprise (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment)
Jazmine Sullivan – Hurt Me So Good (RCA Records)
SZA – S.O.S. (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)

Outstanding Soul/R&B Song
“About Damn Time” – Lizzo (Atlantic Records)
“Cuff It” – Beyoncé (Columbia Record/Parkwood Entertainment) (WINNER)
“Good Morning Gorgeous Remix feat. H.E.R.” – Mary J. Blige (300)
“Hurt Me So Good” – Jazmine Sullivan (RCA Records)
“Lift Me Up” – Rihanna (Def Jam Recordings)

Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song
Billie Eilish – Armani White (Def Jam Recordings)
City of Gods – Fivio Foreign (Columbia Records)
Hotel Lobby – Quavo, Takeoff (Motown Records/Quality Control Music) (WINNER)
The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar (pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)
Wait for U – Future feat. Drake and Tems (Epic Records)

Outstanding Album
age/sex/location – Ari Lennox (Dreamville/Interscope Records)
Breezy (Deluxe) – Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar (pgLang/Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)
Renaissance – Beyoncé (Parkwood/Columbia Records) (WINNER)
Watch the Sun – PJ Morton (Morton Records)