As far as tradition goes, it would be highly unusual for any edition of the Headies Awards to finish without witnessing any form of drama, glitz, and gaffes. A remarkable moment of its notoriety was when producer Don Jazzy and rapper Olamide engaged in an on and off-stage feud a few years ago. This year was no different.
What would have been a moment of bromance between former label co-owners Don Jazzy and D'banj when the latter was presented with a lifetime achievement award ended in perceived indifference.
D'banj had beckoned on Don Jazzy to be part of the moment, calling him up the stage. Fulfilling all righteousness, Don Jazzy obliged.
Towards the tail end of the acceptance speech, the indifference evinced by Don Jazzy became palpable. It was translated in the manner with which he hastened to leave the stage, handing back the Headies to D'banj.
With so many words left unspoken, the moment drew the attention of the viewers to their split, which at the time, was perceived as contentious.
While it was a night to honour legends, more legends were made. Wizkid became the most awarded artist in the award's history with 15 wins. Out of all 15, five were handed out to him that night after he gained nominations in 10 different categories courtesy of global smash hit 'Essence' that features Tems, and the deluxe version of the 'Made in Lagos' album.
Although being one of the most nominated acts that evening, it was Sunday Are, Wizkid's manager, who picked up some of the awards on his behalf. In the past editions, fans of the star as well as music lovers have questioned his obvious absence from the biggest award shows to emerge in Nigeria, with some coming up with several theories, one of such being that he is resident in the US and couldn't make it. That theory was flawed this time around because the current edition was held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, USA.
This simple discovery sent the Twitter space into a frenzy of words and quotes, with some saying he has no regard for the local award shows. Indeed, his presence could have elevated the award show by attracting international eyeballs. It was a total miss.
The Next-Rated category each year, is a hotly contested one that has seen the likes of Patoranking, Wizkid, Rema, and Omah Lay conveniently cart away the statue. Joining this list this year is BNXN (formerly addressed as Buju). His win was a well-accoladed one that was drama free. Similarly Fave picked up the Rookie of the Year award, but all hell was let loose after viral sensation Goya Menor, who spawned 'Ameno Amanpiano', gained recognition from the awarding body.
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The singer had his first ever win in the category of 'Best Streethop Artiste'. This victory didn't sit well with Portable. Portable was earlier disqualified from the category after he was deemed unfit by the Headies for sharing a video threatening other artists nominated alongside him. He also claimed to be the founder of crime groups terrorising neighbourhoods in Lagos.
In a video uploaded by Portable, he belittled Goya, implying that he got lucky with his hit. As a clap back, Goya shared "I wonder who's comparing a B.sc (sic) holder who almost made a First class with someone who can't even locate his Kg3 result. As da Street hop holder, I gat class. You can never see me dirty" to his Instagram story.
Goya's response via Instagram was followed by a video where he donned a militia look to assert that he is the real street king. At the time of this report Portable retorted in a video saying "na me be street king, any other king be counterfeit."
Currently, it is uncertain if their trade of words would end, however, what remained certain was that The Headies made its mark on the music landscape despite choosing a faraway destination.
