Hip Hop World Magazine of Nigeria has just announced the nominees for the 15th Headies awards which is set to hold on September 4, 2022, in Atlanta Georgia.
New categories have been introduced and they include Music Executive of the Year; Best Afrobeat Pop Single (Nigeria); Best Afrobeat Pop Album (Nigeria); Best African Collaboration; Best International Collaboration; African Artiste of the Year; and International Artiste of the Year.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the rookie of the year who has had a successful year musically, with the absence of an album in the year under review.
BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR
A non-voting category for the best recording (that meets the judges’ requirements of excellence; songwriting, production, rendition) by an artist or group in the year under review.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
An individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed song or album in the year under review.
BEST R&B SINGLE
A category for the best r&b single in the year under review (by a single individual or group).
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
A non-voting category for the writer of a song (that meets the judges’ requirements of excellence, composition, arrangement, rendition) in the year under review.
BEST RAP SINGLE
A voting category for a single (released on-air) recording of a rap song.
BEST ‘ALTERNATIVE’ SONG
A voting category for the artiste whose songs reflect any form or style of music which falls outside the mainstream of recent or past popular musical trends.
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
A non-voting category for the single female artiste with the most outstanding vocal performances on a single song or album.
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)
A non-voting category for the single male artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
A voting category for the best conceptualist, best directed and most exciting video in the year under review. This award goes to the video director.
BEST COLLABORATION
A voting category for the best r&b, pop or hip-hop collaborative track (including cameos).
BEST AFROBEATS SINGLE OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the best Afrobeats single in year under review (by single individual or group).
HEADIES’ VIEWER’S CHOICE
A voting category to award the fan’s favourite artiste with the most digital tractions (downloads, views, streams) in the year under review.
BEST WEST AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Western African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.
BEST EAST AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Eastern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.
BEST NORTH AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Northern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.
BEST SOUTHERN AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Southern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.
BEST AFROBEATS ALBUM
A category for the best Afrobeats album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).
BEST REGGAE & DANCEHALL ALBUM
A voting category for the Best Reggae & Dancehall album (solo or group) in the year under review.
BEST R&B ALBUM
A category for the best r&b album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).
BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
A category for the best Alternative album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).
BEST RAP ALBUM
A non-voting category for the best album by a rap artiste or group in the year under review.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the best album (solo or group) in the year under review, that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (songwriting, production, rendition and impact).
SONG OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the most popular song in the year under review.
BEST FEMALE ARTISTE
Overall most successful female artiste (with artistic quality and/or impact) in the year under review.
BEST MALE ARTISTE
Overall most successful male artiste (with artistic quality and/or impact) in the year under review.
NEXT RATED
This category is a voting category for the most promising act (with an EP or Album) in the year under review.
AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group with the most outstanding achievement, impact and infiltration into the International music scene within the year under review.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTE RECOGNITION
Special recognition to an individual(s) for excellence and outstanding impact on the Nigerian entertainment industry within a specific period and/or the year under review.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Special recognition to an individual(s) for excellence and outstanding impact to the entertainment industry within the year under review.
HALL OF FAME
Special recognition to an individual of African Descent, for excellence and outstanding impact on the African entertainment industry, home and abroad.
LYRICIST ON THE ROLL
A non-voting category for the rap artiste with the best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album.
HUMANITARIAN AWARD OF THE YEAR
A voting category to recognize and Award extraordinary individuals and/or groups who have positively impacted the lives of people, nature and society within the year in review.
BEST CENTRAL AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Central African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.
Nigerian singer Ric Hassani made headlines recently with his comments on the state of Afrobeats music. During an interview on Channels TV’s popular programme Rubbin’ Minds, Hassani expressed his concern about a decline in the quality of hit songs.
Ric Hassani attributed this decline to the growing popularity of Afrobeats and the increasing number of aspiring artists entering the music industry. He argued that in the past, artists had to work harder and create truly exceptional music to achieve mainstream success. Today, with the genre’s global recognition and wider accessibility, it seems there’s a lower barrier to entry.
He suggested that this influx of new artists, while exciting for the genre’s growth, might be having an unintended consequence: a saturation of the market with songs that may not meet the same quality standards as previous Afrobeats hits.
“Our guys are top 10 and I feel because of that the quality of music might start dropping because now more people want to get in,” Ric Hassani told host Ebuka Obi Uchendu “Back in the day, hit songs were serious music. Boys were really coming at it but now, almost anybody is just coming in and if you check the hit songs in Nigerian today most of them aren’t really good music,” he added.
Ric Hassani isn’t the only one talking about the quality of Nigerian music lately. Several critics have voiced concerns that recent hit songs haven’t been as strong as those in the past. They point to a trend of artists repeating similar styles, particularly the popular Amapiano sound.
Hassani himself weighed in on the issue, suggesting that the very success of Afrobeats music might be a contributing factor. He believes that with Afrobeats reaching a global audience and becoming more mainstream, some artists might be getting a little too comfortable.
In the past, with more competition and a smaller spotlight, artists had to push themselves harder to create truly outstanding music to stand out. Hassani worries that, with the genre’s current popularity, there might be less pressure to innovate or write exceptional songs, leading to a decline in overall quality.
“Because we have been number 1 for so long we just feel like ‘dem go feel am’ and everybody is just throwing money and all these music videos behind it and the quality is really dropping.”
The discussion about Afrobeats isn’t just about quality. The label itself is sparking debate. Some Nigerian artists, particularly those in genres like R&B, feel restricted by the “Afrobeats” tag. This is according to Ric Hassani, a well-known Nigerian R&B artist.
Ric Hassani hasn’t felt limited by the label, but he understands why others might. “Afrobeats” has become a broad term encompassing much of Nigeria’s popular music. Some artists who create music in different styles might feel the Afrobeats label doesn’t accurately represent their sound. This could be why some artists are trying to distance themselves from the term altogether.
Check out more updates here.
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