The Headies Nominee Review by Razaq Adeleke

So, the Headies released its nominations list for its upcoming awards which comes up on the 19^th of October 2019, and I thought I should share my thoughts on each category, the nominations and who I think would win.

1. BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• Adekunle Gold– Ire
• Patoranking– Heal D World
• Brymo– Olanrewaju
• Teni– Uyo Meyo
• Burna Boy– Ye

Tough one. But if I’m to pick based on the requirements which are; songwriting, production and rendition, I’ll pick Adekunle Gold – Ire as my winner. Who I think Headies will award? Burna Boy, cos he’s had a massive year.

2. BEST POP SINGLE

• ‘Ye’– Burna Boy
• ‘Wetin We Gain’– Victor AD
• ‘Fake Love’– Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
• ‘Case’– Teni
• ‘Jealous’– Fireboy DML
• ‘Baby’– Joeboy

This category looks tough, but Burna Boy – Ye wins it easily. Next!

3. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

• Phantom– ‘Ye’  Burna Boy
• Ozedikus –‘Dumebi’ by Rema
• Spellz –‘Askamaya’ by Teni
• Killertunes –‘Fake Love’ by Starboy feat Duncan Mighty and Wizkid
• Kel-P Vibes –‘Killing Dem’ by Burna Boy feat Zlatan

Phantom produced Ye and ye is the most acclaimed song of the year. So he wins it. You may be a better producer than him, but he produced the biggest song of the year.

4. BEST RAP ALBUM

• ‘Moral Instruction’ – Falz
• ‘Crown’– AQ and Loose Kaynon
• ‘A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl’– M.I Abaga
• ‘Clone Wars, Vol. IV (These Buhari Times)’– Show Dem Camp

Funny how the best rap album of the year isn’t nominated here. ALTERNATE ENDING! By Boogey and Paybac. I don’t get why they couldn’t have 5 or 6 nominees here like other categories. AQ & Loose Kaynon – Crown wins it for me though. Who I think Headies will award? Falz, cos he spoke against the government. lol

5. BEST R&B\POP ALBUM

• – Odunsi (The Engine)
• Outside – Burna Boy
• No Bad Songz – Kizz Daniel
• Mayor of Lagos – Mayorkun
• About 30 – Adekunle Gold

So, I don’t get why two different genres are together here, cos its really unfair to the R&B guys. A pop album def wins this cos it has more “tungba” sounds. Burna Boy wins it again.

6. BEST MUSIC VIDEO

• ‘Dangote’(Burna Boy) – Clarence Peters
• ‘Available’(Patoranking) – Clarence Peters
• ‘Ire’(Adekunle Gold) – Aje Films
• ‘Talk’(Falz) – Prodigeezy
• ‘Jaiye’(Ladipoe) – 88 Factor

I really don’t care much about this category cos all our naija videos just dey. Headies will give CAPITAL sha.

7. BEST R&B SINGLE

• ‘Tipsy’ – Odunsi ft. Raye
• ‘Serenade’– Funbi
• ‘Uyo Meyo’– Teni
• ‘Wishes and Butterflies’– Wurld

Nonso Amadi isn’t here?? Y’all are joking. Odunsi is my winner here. Anybody can win it sha.

8. BEST COLLABO

• ‘Like’– Reekado Banks featuring Tiwa Savage, Fiokee
• ‘One Ticket’ – Kiss Danielfeaturing Davido
• ‘Fake Love’– Starboy featuring Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
• ‘Killin’ Dem’– Burna Boy featuring Zlatan
• ‘Amaka’– 2baba featuring Peruzzi

Can someone dial the police cos Skiibii has clearly been robbed!! Why the f$$q is Sensima ft Reeekado Bankz not here?? wow, smh. Toughest category so far. Winner should be between 3,4 and 5. Any of them and Its good.

9. BEST RAP SINGLE
10. ‘Talk’– Falz
11. ‘We Don’t Do That Over Here’ – Hotyce
12. ‘40ft Container’ – Illbliss feat Olamide
13. ‘Sacrifice’– Payper Corleone feat Alpha Ojini
14. ‘Gang Gang’ – AQ and Loose Kaynon

Where is our BRIA??? smh! And what is that no.3 song doing here?? Gang Gang – AQ & Loose Kaynon is my winner, but I think Falz goes home with the award cos… (same reason as ‘best rap album’)

10. BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)

• Tay Iwar –‘Utero’
• Johnny Drille –‘Finding Efe’
• Nonso Bassey –‘411’
• Funbi –‘Serenade’
• Wurld –‘Wishes & Butterfly’

Tay is easily my winner. But I think Headies will give it to Johnny cos Baba dey hin back.

11. BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

• GoodGirl LA – ‘Bless me’
• Waje –‘Udue’
• Teni –‘Uyo Meyo’
• Tems –‘Mr Rebel’
• Falana –‘Repeat’

Lol you put aunty Waje in a vocal category with these youngins and expect her not to win?? Say NO to child abuse.

12. NEXT RATED

• Rema
• Joeboy
• Fireboy DML
• Victor AD
• Lyta
• Zlatan

Dear Headies, nobody asked you to not do awards last year o. Cos that’s the only reason why Zlatan is here. You guys just robbed Rema or Fireboy off an award they both deserve. Plus, I hoped to see another Jazzy vs Baddo again. lol. Also, where is Blaqbonez? Where is Naira Marley??

13. HIP HOP WORLD REVELATION

• Odunsi
• Mayorkun
• Wurld
• Humblesmith

These nominees aren’t strong enough for me. I really don’t care. Give anybody

14. LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

• YCEE –‘Balance’
• Boogey – ‘Implode’
• Paybac –‘Implode’
• Ghost –‘Crown’
• Tec –‘Crown’
• AQ –‘Crown’

Boogey & PayBac are here, so I guess that’s why they didn’t have a problem with being left out of the ‘best rap album’ category. Everybody here deserves it, but I’m going to be biased and make AQ my winner cos he’s my most favorite among the group. Shout out to the Crown album for producing 3 nominees here.

15. BEST STREET-HOP ARTIST

• Erigga –‘Motivation’
• Chinko Ekun –‘Able God’
• Zlatan –‘Leg Work’
• Barry Jhay –‘Aiye’
• Lyta –‘Time’

Toke Makinwa\ Ebuka Obi should present this award just so she can say “ebuka, ebuka shower your blessings” before handing it over.

16. BEST ALTERNATIVE SONG

• ‘Cash’– Lady Donli
• ‘Mr Rebel’– Tems
• ‘Finding Efe’– Johnny Drille
• ‘Heya’– Brymo
• ‘Ire’ – Adekunle Gold

Alte’e’e’e’e’e… lol the “alte” front runners (Santi/Odunsi) aren’t even here, you hate to see. Brymo or Adekunle Gold wins this for me.

17. ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• About 30 – Adekunle Gold
• Outside – Burna Boy
• Moral Instruction – Falz
• No Bad Songz – Kizz Daniel

• Burna Boy – Outside

18. ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

• Burna Boy
• Wizkid
• Davido
• Tiwa Savage
• Falz

Why isn’t Zlatan nominated here??? Burna Boy wins it.

19. SONG OF THE YEAR

• ‘Ye’– Burna Boy 
• ‘Dumebi’– Rema
• ‘Wetin We Gain’– Victor AD
• ‘Fake Love’– Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
• ‘Case’– Teni
• ‘Leg work’– Zlatan
• ‘Baby’– Joeboy
• ‘Jealous’– Fireboy DML

Sensima!!! Skiibii didn’t come back from the dead to be treated this way. This is so unfair. Again headies, try and be doing your awards yearly. Ye wins it, but it wouldn’t be here if the awards happened last year. This would have been between Rema or Fireboy DML

20. *skip*
21. *skip*
22. BEST PERFORMER

• Falz
• Tiwa Savage
• Brymo
• Yemi Alade
• Adekunle Gold

Adekunle Gold and his band have been killing it recently, so I’ll give them this.

23. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• Crayon
• Buju
• Barry Jhay
• Oxlade

Barry Jhay is my favorite guy here. Oxlade deserves it too. I’m cool with either of them winning it. I love Crayon’s EP tho, it’s massively underrated.

Thanks for reading. Note that everything written here are my opinions and its okay to think otherwise. Thank You. Feedbacks will be appreciated. Follow me on Twitter  for daily doses of these.

Razaq Adeleke is a Social Commentator and avid follower of Nigerian politics and a podcaster on Northoriouspod

Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of EchoNaija