Headies Award 2015 Review
I am a big fan of Smooth Promotions, a company run by Ayo Animashaun a man with the Midas touch. I have been following Mr. Ayo’s progress from the days of Hip Hop World Magazine, Hip Hop World Awards (now re-branded as Headies). Hip on TV was his brain child and that show changed the way entertainment programs are packaged for TV in Nigeria. And from there he secured a channel on DSTV known as Hip Tv a true entertainment hub for urban contemporary musical and other entertainment lifestyle. He is currently perfecting Real-Time a name given to the technology of beaming live TV signal.
The Smooth Promotion brand is a major agenda setter in the Nigerian entertainment industry. The artistes in Nigeria and indeed Africa are inspired by Ayo Animashaun’s genius which reflects in his works and how he leads his team to achieve great results even with limited resources sometimes.
So I monitored the 10th edition of the Headies hosted by Kaffy who did a great job by the way and I can authoritatively tell you that Kaffy is hip hop. She deserves a special recognition on that platform someday. You can’t help but be entertained by the dancer. The heights of her anchoring during the event could be seen at various stages. Her street swagger before introducing Vector’s King Kong performance was golden. And vector didn’t disappoint either; the emcee understands the role spectacle plays in hip hop rap performances these days.
Still on Kaffy; who took her job to another level when she brought a scantily clad Bovi her co-host on stage in a reenactment of D’banj’s daring performance in bathroom towel. Only God knows how D’banj would take this because Bovi’s jokes were quite sensitive. I am still showering praise on Kaffy for a job well done. Can you imagine she teased the freaks in all the attendees about stripping? Only to transform before their eyes in creatively designed clothing without a show of skin? You need to watch the anticipation of Derele Edun a freak like no other.
What statements are the Yoruba guys making with the dark brown Agbada uniform? Whatever the code of the dressing is, one thing became really clear, these artistes are smart with their music. Watch Reminisce who won in the Best Collaboration category stimulate the excited women in the audience with his lyrics. You can’t deny, Alaga Ibile possesses a skillful art of emceeing, be it in Yoruba, Pidgin or Ebonics.
I am so sure Tuface will keep on surprising those who have not taken time to listen to his albums especially his first three albums. 2baba is legendary with his musical gift and talent. His live delivery of his Oh Papa track from his Unstoppable Album was flawless. And the organizer did him a great honour as he was presented his Hall of Fame award by the common sense senator Ben Bruce. Mr Idibia deserves the accolades.
Trust MTN when it comes to the hustle, the telecommunication giant would be giving out a brand new car to the winner of a new award category designed for upcoming acts that need to sell their music on various MTN musical platforms. Here comes the moment every lover of a brand new Hyundai car must have been waiting for- The Next Rated Category.
Every nominee had put in work to make good music. To me, I was thinking Korede Bello will emerge the winner of the category but Rikado Banks won with his Katapot tack. It is a good look for the Mavin guys as the coveted prize and award was won from the family. It was a moment of tension and emotion as if that wasn’t enough Bovi appeared from nowhere and interrupted the emotional Rikado Banks not in a Kanye’s fashion but a Steve Harvey’s, all eyes on Bovi as he reread the next rated winner’s name without a mistake though. This crazy stunt by Bovi was beautifully done and that added some sort of relief to the visibly emotional nominees, especially Lil Kesh and Korede.
The curvy Yemi Alade won The Revelation Artiste of the year award; she revealed how bad she felt during the 2014 Headies; when as a nominee, she went home with no award. Yemi Alade ’statement shows the great attachment that comes with winning an Headie. The same goes to Vector who couldn’t hide his joy when he won in the Lyricist on the Roll category. The only problem I noticed with the show this year is in the sound department but this did not dampen the beautiful event.
Where was MI, his Chairman Album was awarded the Best Rap Album of the year. Did he take some chronic break? No, he didn’t but when he finally showed up and he was making the presentation of the Revelation category he wasn’t doing it like the cool and in control MI we have come to know. Mr. Incredible kept making a mistake by substituting the word revelation with next rated. But trust him he spoke well of his Chairman Album.
Wow! Headies kept getting better with great performances. I love the way Timi Dakolo ushered in the rain maker Majek Fashek who is indeed still living longer as a reggae icon amid the drug battles and all. Harrysong just won me over, to be honest, I wasn’t on his Reggae Blues hook but after seeing him freestyle effortlessly before setting the crowd on fire, I must say I am now a fan.
Yinka Gold won in the Best Alternative Song category the YBNL singer's Sade is indeed a solid jam. The backup mass choir he brought on stage during his performance is an attestation to my earlier submission about the smart approach to music making and presentation the stars are exhibiting.
But here comes the spoiler as the visibly angry Olamide the YBNL boss made some nasty remark about the loss of Lil Kesh in the Next Rated category, this is about to get ugly, I pray Baado quickly issues a statement about his conduct. The Shakiti Bodo uttered some curse words and slammed the microphone on the floor as he walked away. Was he high or something? The mastery of self is the beginning of wisdom. A man must exercise control over his emotion. 2015 had been a great year for Olamide and his YBNL team. He concluded the year with his OLIC2 which really rocked and MTVBase named him the Hottest Naija artiste of 2015 and it is evident he is loved by his YBNL team. So why would Baado lose his cool at the Headies of all shows?
Don Jazzy was given a Special Recognition award. The genius of the producer is a blue print everybody interested in the music business must study. There is a big difference between the music of Koko Master of Mo Hits and D’banj of today. The way that partnership ended and the crooners are still cool with each other is matured. Don Baba J literally started MAVIN Records from the scratch and today it is a success story. Don Jazzy never loses his cool and he still maintained that as he received the Special Recognition award presented to him by Mr. Tony Okoroji. Don Jazzy even called Olamide “Egbon” in his reaction to the scene Baado made and suggested he should come and have the Hyundi car won from the MAVINS’s camp.
The producer who looks beyond award and special recognition was a man of the night. He reminds me of the incident in 1995 Source Awards where Puffy favoured the part of peace in the face of insult issued by Suge Knight. But where is Knight today? Baado wouldn’t even wait to see who will emerge winner in the artiste of the year category he was nominated in. No! He walked out of the venue Jagaban!
In conclusion, Headies Award 2015 is inspiring what a way to begin the New Year with a spark of creative energy.