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  • When 9ice sang, “Don’t doubt me, I go bring home Grammy,” on his 2007 hit song, Street Credibility, only three Nigerian artists — King Sunny Ade, Babatunde Olatunji and Femi Kuti — had ever been nominated for a Grammy and only one of them had won it, once. Now, almost 15 years after 9ice’s ambitious lyrics, Nigeria can boast of three more winners, with the 2022 Grammy Awards setting the stage for new additions to this list. Progress, right? Well, Nigeria’s relationship with the Grammys still has a long way to go. 

    At the tail end of 2021, the Recording Academy, known on the streets as the Grammys, announced its nominations lists, celebrating the previous year in music and the creatives that stood out. Popping up among names like Coldplay, Lady Gaga and Doja Cat were Nigerian acts: Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Made Kuti, and his father, Femi Kuti.

    Nigerian artistes on the 2022 Nomination‘s List

    Scoring back-to-back nominations after a massive win in 2021, Burna Boy made an appearance on the nomination list this year for his collaboration with Angelique Kidjo in Do Yourself. After winning in 2021 for his appearance on Beyoncé’s Black is King, Wizkid finally earned lead artist Grammy nominations with Made in Lagos scoring Best Global Music Album, while his single, Essence, got nominated for Best Global Music Performance. 

    Meanwhile, Femi Kuti also got two nominations, one for his song Pà Pá Pà, and another for his collaborative album with his son Made Kuti, Legacy+. 

    RECOMMENDED: If ‘African Giant’ Couldn’t Win A Grammy, Which Nigerian Album Can?

    The Problem with the Grammy Awards 

    For the first time, multiple Nigerian artists scored Grammy nominations, and while that’s what celebrating, we can’t help but point out certain “commas” with not just this list, but with the Grammys as an institution. 

    It’s almost impossible to talk about music or entertainment culture from 2021 and not mention Wizkid’s mega record, Essence. Despite making its first appearance on his 2020 album, Made In Lagos, Essence was one of the biggest songs of 2021, reopening dancefloors around the world from Lagos to Miami. Cementing Wizkid’s status as a global superstar, Essence became the first song by a Nigerian artist to crack into the Billboard Hot 100 and the first by an African artist to make it to the Top 10. As if that wasn’t enough, Essence was also a social media anthem and the most Shazamed song in the US in August 2021. 

    Knowing the cultural impact and numbers Essence pulled off, one would assume this would be the Nigerian or African song to break out of the Grammys’ restrictive, “Global Music” categories, but nope, we work hard, but racism works harder. 

    We’re not the only ones who noticed this. Speaking in a recent interview, Insecure creator and record label owner, Issa Rae, shared the same thoughts about Essence, saying, “A song like Wizkid’s Essence — an absolute powerhouse — and yet not properly acknowledged by the institution that’s supposed to celebrate the best in music trips me out.” 

    Yes, Issa, we’re tripping too!

    ALSO READ: The Guy Behind Wizkid’s Essence Video Breaks Down His Cinematography Style

    Why Can’t We Be Happy About these Nominations? It’s Something After All

    We’re glad you brought this up. While these nominations signal a step in the right direction, the Grammys aren’t moving fast enough. When you also consider that this institution has failed time and time again to reward the contributions of black artists to music — Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Janet Jackson and Nicki Minaj — it makes it really hard to trust them. 

    We can walk and chew gum — we can be happy for the progress that has been made and still call out lethargic efforts by the Grammys at making the awards more inclusive — the fact that “urban music” is a category is still wild AF.


    On Street Credibility, 9ice bragged about being known on the streets, and to be honest, it feels like  that’s enough. Over the years, artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Drake have spoken about their decisions not to submit their music for Grammys’ consideration and so far, they’re still out here breaking chart records and selling out stadiums like it’s no man’s business. This makes us wonder, who really determines good music — a sole organisation or the multitude of fans around the world who love music, buy songs and stream them?

  • Odogwu and Big Wiz have given us hits before, so what happens when they team up to close out the year with one final song? For Love It/Hate It, we asked Nigerians what they think about the latest collaboration between the Grammy winners, and this is what they had to say. 

    Temilade – “If Wizkid and Burna ear dey pain them tomorrow, na me cause am.”

    The more I play this song, the sweeter it becomes. It has to be jazz, abeg. These guys are in a league of their own. While Essence became the biggest hit from Made in Lagos, nobody can say Ginger wasn’t an absolute banger. Come on! Now they’re back again? I will rinse this song until they both come to Ebgeda to beg me. 

    Amaka – “Nobody is seeing Wizkid⁠—musically and lyrically. The man is clear”

    Omo, Wizkid took all the shouting and gragra Burna Boy was doing on Ginger seriously because tell me why he decided to feature on a song and outperform the owner? Is it crack? He ate the beat like somebody eating for the first time after seven days of prayer and fasting. The real Nigerian goat. Absolutely love this jam. 

    Mayowa – “Forget Omarion, unnecessary collaborations like this are the real pandemic.”

    Let me start by saying Ginger was overhyped. Yes, I said it. Just because two of our faves collaborate together doesn’t mean the song will always slap. But when you see Wizkid FC and Outsiders, they will start acting like this song is the best thing since small chops. Everyone should rest. The song is very mid. 

    Kosi – “You can’t tell me Burna wasn’t dragging Mr ‘look into your eyes all I see is your waist’ on this song”

    We all know Burna was dragging Davido on this song, right? What else did he mean by “one man, two-man, three….don penkelemess”? Who is the third man? Burna has not forgiven Mr. Philanthropy and I’m living for this beef. Yes guys, drag each other like small gen. 

    Jessie – “Wiz, we are poor. Money can impress us”

    When Wizkid said “I neva see person wey fit use money to impress me”, I did not feel it in my soul at all. What kind of oppression is this? Ayodeji, people are dying. We are broke bitches in this household. It’s a cute song though. Not sure it matches Ginger or Sponono but cute nonetheless. 

    Ndifreke – “I want both of them to drop a collab album, but I’m afraid they’ll end up racking” 

    This track proves yet again that Burna and Wiz have great chemistry in the studio. Jah Love is True gave us a hint and this track just cements it. Now, imagine if they did like a Watch the Throne style album? My only fear is that Burna Boy will start moving mad and we all know Wizkid doesn’t like stress. Let’s see what happens. 

  • Nigerian youths are stepping forward in solidarity with Johnnie Walker’s newest campaign – ‘Keep Walking’, a movement to celebrate communities of creatives across Africa who, in their walks, exemplify its long-standing mantra. The campaign is launched in partnership with notable personalities, one of whom is the African Giant himself, Burna Boy.

    Leading the pan-African campaign is a video which showcases an energetic and vibrant ‘Anthem’ that mirrors the trials of being non-conformist and forward-thinking, while addressing negative labels, and depicting the doggedness of the average Nigerian youth.

    Johnnie Walker, in this Ad, highlights the resilience of the youth in defying labels and embracing Afro-optimism, while calling on them to step forward and keep walking. This is why we are not surprised that Burna is a major voice in this movement. It is quite clear that the adaptation of the global ‘Keep Walking’ movement is captured through the lenses of Burna’s own walks in the featured video. We also see the ‘Keep Walking’ representation in other stories from convention-defying, non-conformist, culture shapers across the creative space in a documentary titled – The Ones Who.

    This pan-African documentary spotlights Nigerians like Emo afrobeats star, CKay; World-class Afrobeats dancer and singer, Yeni Kuti; Nigeria’s first skate crew community, Waffles and Cream; renowned fashion and documentary photographer, Stephen Tayo and Nigeria-American filmmaker, Amarachi Nwosu.

    In addition, this movement allows you to celebrate and gift special individuals this festive season through Johnnie Walker’s mega gifting platform. The platform allows you carve out personalized messages to The Ones Who have inspired your walk and allows the whisky company join you on the journey to carve your own path.

    For us, the entire campaign is an apt representation of the shoes we walk in and why ‘Keep Walking’ is created to put a spring in our step as we stake our claim, finding our own paths and building our own future to becoming a generation of giants. We don’t think there is a more powerful way to share this message. Stay engaged with Keep Walking, as Johnnie Walker, the world’s favourite whisky, unveils a diverse range of immersive experiences.

    For more details about Keep Walking or Johnnie Walker, follow @johnniewalkerng on Instagram. You can also follow the hashtag #KeepWalkingNaija.

  • Nothing gets the internet going like a hot and spicy celebrity showdown. From Olamide dividing Lagos into two (one for him and the other for Don Jazzy) to Wizkid dragging Davido by his invisible edges by likening his voice to that of a frog, the internet has given us some of the most hilarious beefs of the decade. 

    Olamide vs. Don Jazzy (2016)

    Remember the time Olamide banned Don Jazzy from the mainland and told him to #LeaveTrashForLawma? We do too! This beef which started at the 2015 Headies after Reekado Bankz (Mavin) won the next rated award over Lil Kesh (YBNL), was one of the biggest celebrity showdowns we’ve witnessed in real-time, and probably the last time people tuned in to watch that award show. The beef was so bad it got reactions from both Dangote and Obasanjo. Talk about impact! Who can forget the shady DJ who kept dropping diss tracks after each opponent made his point? 

    PSquare vs. PSquare vs. The Other Okoye Brother (2017)

    Nollywood always hammered on the saying “Blood is thicker than water”, but in  2017, after many years of wowing audiences around the world with their love songs and dance moves, PSquare decided to break up and go their separate ways. But instead of keeping it classy, the brothers (and their other non-singing brother, Jude) dragged each other for filth on the interwebs. And in typical Nigerian fashion, their wives ended up catching stray bullets as agents of discord. While they recently reunited to post their bank account details and collect money on Twitter, fans are still holding out hope for a musical reunion. 

    Wizkid vs. Davido (2017)

    Davido made fun of Wizkid for shooting his Come Closer video with an invisible Drake, and Wizkid called him “frog voice”. Wizkid went on to call Davido a “local artist”, to which Davido responded with a major flex, an American passport (God when?). The whole thing was so chaotic we enjoyed every single bit of it. 

    Tiwa Savage vs. Seyi Shay (2021)

    Imagine going to the salon to get your hair done and then getting front row seats to the biggest celebrity showdown of 2021? A prime example of “maintaining the same energy offline”, the whole shebang happened when, after allegedly dissing Tiwa in a track, Seyi Shay decided to form familiarity at a salon. In a world star move, Tiwa called bullshit and proceeded to drag Seyi Shay by her edges.  

    Burna vs. Davido (2020)

    It’s hard to pinpoint the origin of this beef. One minute, Burna Boy is attributing Davido’s success to daddy’s money, next thing, there’s a full-on wrestling match in a Ghanaian club. From Fem to Way Too Big, these two have been subbing each other for a while now. The pettiest part has to be when Davido posted a picture with Wizkid which he tagged “The two greatest of all time, no cap.” And we all know how Burna gets when his “African giant” status is not recognized. If you don’t get this, ask Coachella. 

  • After an incredible year of music, the Grammys recently released their nomination list honouring the “best of the best” in the industry. With Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Made and Femi Kuti scoring nominations, we decided to ask Nigerians what they thought about the list for Love It/Hate It!

    Bello – Hate it! Too many predictable nominations 

    Omo, the last time a Grammy nomination list made sense was 2016. It has been a whole ass mess since then. Shout out to Big Wiz, Tems and Jazmine Sullivan for their nominations, well deserved. But please tell me why all H.E.R has to do is breathe and just like that, she’s nominated. Is her father paying their rent? Apart from Wiz’s nomination, I hate this list. 

    Max – Hate It! The Grammys have been embarrassing for years

    The rap category was a mess – I’m still wondering how Drake’s Certified Lover Boy made it on the list as opposed to Isaiah Rashad and Baby Keem. I feel like the Grammys have been embarrassing for years and it just keeps getting worsePretty sure everyone thinks Wiz has it in the bag but Angelique Kidjo might just end up being a thorn in his side. 

    Kelechi – Love it! This is the most diverse list they’ve put out in a while

    Finally, the Grammys acknowledge that black people can do pop and white people can do R&B. I can’t stand that peaches in Georgia song, but they could’ve easily thrown it into the pop category because there’s a white man involved. Doja in the pop categories? Yassss! This is the most diverse list they’ve put out in a while. I’m into it. 

    Solape – Love it but Essence should have been in record or song of the year

    I can’t believe we used to drag Burna for being extra. Despite being very annoying online, he always gets the job done. This guy has gotten Grammy nominations back to back. I’m happy for that Olivia Rodrigo girl too. That album had a grown man like me in my feelings (and I’m single). The list is balanced, but Essence should have been in record or song of the year. 

    Esther – Hate it! Are the Grammys relevant? 

    Every year we have the same argument about who got snubbed and who didn’t deserve to be nominated. These awards are controlled by white men who should be listening to Jim Reeves. They don’t know jack! Are the Grammys relevant? I doubt it. Everyone should free that thing abeg. 

  • Burna Boy’s Twice As Tall just deservedly took home the Grammy for ‘Best Global Music Album’.

    Take this quiz and we’ll tell you which Twice As Tall song you are.

  • Burna Boy’s African Giant follow-up Twice As Tall just deservedly took home the Grammy for ‘Best Global Music Album’. Take this quiz to prove you actually jammed it.

    Go ahead:

  • Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.

    Should Burna Boy lead a protest? Well, it all started with a tweet:

    And then Sowore replied:

    And then Nigerians started weighing in.

    1. Some think Burna Boy only likes the fun part of being Fela:

    2. Others think Sowore is the hypocrite:

    Others think he should just spare us the faux righteousness (aka Lil Fela vibes):

    https://twitter.com/Olumuyiwa__/status/1311196779757666307?s=19

    IS BURNA BOY MAKING SENSE?

    Thing is, anyone can criticize their government. Burna Boy is within his rights to be angry with Nigerians and the Nigerian government.

    But if you sound so passionate about the stupidity of politicians and the docility of Nigerians, then shouldn’t you be doing something about it? The easiest part is staying in a studio somewhere yabbing Nigeria and Nigerians, without actually doing putting any pressure on the government. Whereas, Sowore is at least doing something with his #RevolutionNow protests.

    People have to be educated about the best policies a candidate should offer. They have to be enthusiastic about voting. They have to be enthusiastic about protests. Government itself needs to see that people are angry with it. Elections need to be better. The Police needs to be reformed. In fact, there is a whole citizen and governance culture that needs to be fixed.

    The barest minimum is tweeting and singing about Nigeria. Nigeria can only work if people show up in real life to fix society’s issues. And this is not to say that making conscious music alone is bad. But we need to do more.

    So, maybe Burna Boy should join Sowore in a protest if je really means it. No?

    Check back every weekday by 10am for more Zikoko Citizen stories.

  • There are a lot of Nigerian musicians doing great stuff. For this quiz, we’ve unscrambled 14 of them. How quickly can you unscramble them before you run out of time?

    Pro-tip: Don’t spend too much time on any question.

    Good luck:

  • If you don’t know Burna Boy dropped an album this week, or you’ve not even listened to it, just come out of the rock you’ve been hiding under – we promise not to touch you, an ancient Rock of Ages. Meanwhile, there were literally a million reactions to the album on social media the midnight it dropped. We curated 7 types of reactions:

    1. This Album Slaps

    https://twitter.com/kwabenabarnie/status/1294120075067297793?s=19

    These ones are aspiring Nigerian soldiers. Everything must be dirty slap. Hian.

    2. This Project is Mid

    These ones hate plaintain. Nothing impresses them, even if Jesus sends bulk SMS that he is coming tomorrow, they’ll still say his coming is mid. Mid ko.

    3. Burna Lo Help Diddy

    These ones believe Abacha’s wife can never be poor as Dangote, and that Nigeria once beat Brazil 99-0 in a World Cup match. Like, bros, can you just stop with the conspiracy theory. Let’s enjoy the music, biko.

    4. We Want An Album Like Outside

    https://twitter.com/WinnusJohn/status/1294202200105918464?s=19

    Ehn, bros go outside if you want outside na. Just make sure you’re wearing a face mask, or else Lagos State Task Force will use you and do Happy Weekend.

    5. Burna Boy Is homophobic

    https://twitter.com/Kayode_ani/status/1294200776869457926?s=19

    These are the thoughtful people that will rewrite Nigeria’s obtuse same sex marriage prohibition laws. We stan emotionally intelligent Kings and Queens.

    6. I Used To Support Burna Boy From Day 1

    Oya we have heard o, Lord of Casterly Rock. We know you were around when the word was with God. Thanks and God bless.

    7. 23 Is The Hit

    These ones will pick beans and there will be no stone left. Don’t cheat on them o, because they will find out. These ones will pick out a hit in an album of hits. Just call them hitmen.

    Zikoko has more relatable articles. Check out: 10 Food Pictures That Will Make You Scared of Nigerians.